With two NBA championships and two Finals MVP's, a league MVP in 2013-14, nine All-NBA nods, and 10 All-Star appearances, Kevin Durant is undoubtedly one of the greatest to ever play the game. Durant has won numerous awards and broken several records through his career. If the 31-year old superstar retired today, there's no doubt that his resume would already be worthy of the Hall of Fame.
With Durant currently on his road to recovery from a torn Achilles, let's take a look at the Brooklyn Nets superstar's five most impressive NBA records:
Youngest player to win NBA scoring title
Kevin Durant didn't take long to prove that he is an elite scorer. His ability to get buckets from anywhere on the floor has made putting points on the board come so easily for him. Thus, it's only fitting that Durant holds the honor as the youngest player to ever lead the NBA in scoring.
He didn't waste time as a 19-year old rookie, averaging 20.3 points in his debut campaign. He followed that up by averaging 25.3 points in his sophomore season.
By age 21, in his third NBA season, Durant already won the first of his four scoring titles. He averaged a league-leading 30.1 points while shooting 47.6 percent from the field, 36.5 percent from long range, and 90.0 percent from the foul line in the 2009-10 season. The two-time NBA champion was officially 21 years and 197 days old when he accomplished the feat.
Youngest to ever notch a 50-40-90 season
Arguably the most impressive part of Durant's scoring ability is the efficiency at which he puts the ball in the basket. As mentioned, Durant can score from anywhere on the floor. From a 30-footer, a pull-up mid-range jumper, down on the post, or driving to the basket, Durant can do it all. With a variety of scoring options at his disposal, Durant has become one of the most efficient perimeter scorers in NBA history.
There are several barometers to measure efficiency. One of which is notching a 50-40-90 season. This means that a player shot at least 50 percent overall from the field, at least 40 percent from three, and at least 90 percent from the free throw line for an entire season.
Obviously, that's an impressive feat. Only eight players in NBA history are in that exclusive 50-40-90 club. Durant officially became the youngest to join that select group in the 2012-13 season, where he shot 51.0 percent from the field, 41.6 percent from long range, and 90.5 percent from the charity stripe. At the time, he became just the sixth member of the 50-40-90 club.
One of seven players to win three straight scoring titles
Leading the league in scoring is a hard feat in itself. How about doing it for three consecutive seasons?
With arguably the greatest scoring skill set in the history of the game, Durant accomplished that feat from the 2009-10 season to the 2011-12 season. As mentioned, Durant became the youngest to win a scoring title when he averaged 30.1 points in just his third NBA season. He followed that up by averaging 27.7 points in the 2010-11 season.
Durant won his third straight scoring title the following year, putting up 28.0 points, narrowly edging out Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant by the slimmest of margins. Bryant averaged 27.9 points that season. Carmelo Anthony bagged the scoring plum in 2012-13, but Durant won it back in 2013-14 — which is the last season he led the league in scoring.
Only seven players so far, including Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain, have officially won the scoring title in three straight years. Durant's former teammate James Harden will likely join him in the exclusive club after the conclusion of the 2019-20 season.
One of three players to score 25-plus in 40 or more games in a season
Durant did not have his running-mate Russell Westbrook for the most part of the 2013-14 season. Without Westbrook, Durant balled out of his mind mid-way through the 2013-14 season, where he eventually won league MVP.
One of his most impressive career feats is when he went for 41 straight games with scoring 25 points or more. He did that for nearly three months from January to April. Durant dropped 30 or more in 28 of the 41 games, 11 of which were 40-plus point outings, and two of which were 50-plus point masterpieces.
Through this incredibly scorching stretch, Durant notched nightly averages of 34.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.1 assists, while shooting 51.5 percent from the field, 39.5 percent from long range, and 86.5 percent from the free throw line.
The other two players in this exclusive club with Durant include Michael Jordan, who went 40 consecutive games with scoring 25 or more, and Wilt Chamberlain, who went an absurd 80 straight contests with 25-plus points.
2nd most consecutive playoff series with scoring average of at least 25 points
Durant is also a premier scorer on the biggest stage in basketball. In fact, Durant holds the record for second most consecutive playoff series in which a player averaged at least 25-points. Durant started the first 16 playoff series of his career by averaging 25 points or more in each and every single one of them.
His streak of 25-plus point series came to an end in the 2017 playoffs during the Golden State Warriors' first round match-up against the Portland Trail Blazers. He played just two games in their 4-0 sweep of the Blazers and tallied 32 points and 10 points in Games 1 and 4, respectively.
The only player to notch more consecutive playoff series with averages of at least 25 points per game is none other than Michael Jordan. And it isn't close either, as the Chicago Bulls legend eclipsed the 25-point average in an astounding 37 straight playoff series.
Nonetheless, this is arguably the most impressive record of Durant's Hall of Fame worthy career. Keeping this kind of elite consistency under the bright lights of the playoffs is a testament to his standing as one of the all-time greats.
Follow Us
Subscribe