Kevin Durant has netted plenty of accolades during his NBA career, four scoring titles, multiple All-Star mentions, a 2013-14 MVP award and most recently his first championship along with a Finals MVP trophy to boot.
Yet his next hardware is of a completely different realm than all the other trophies in his collection, aiming for a defensive honor like the one Draymond Green earned at the end of last season.
“I want to continue to grow on the defensive end so I can get a defensive honor,” Durant said in a YouTube Q&A session in his own channel via Chris Biderman of WarriorsWire. “I know (I) shouldn’t be playing for that kind of stuff, but it would be cool to be a part of that top-level (of) defenders in the league. So got to keep working and stay locked in on the defensive end.”
“And just keep growing my game. See how far I can take it. That’s about it. But defensively, I want to keep being there for my teammates and hopefully help us get the number one defense in the league.”
Green was named the Defensive Player of the Year after finishing runner-up to Kawhi Leonard for two straight seasons, and Durant has taken the hard-working lessons from his frontcourt mate and put them into action this season.
The 10-year forward is second in the league in blocked shots through 15 games this season with 2.2 per game, trailing only New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis by a whisker.
Eleven of his 15 games have seen Durant block two or more shots, making maximum use of his length and defensive instincts to make himself into a defensive weapon that can turn rejections into scoring opportunities for his team.
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