For quite a period in the association, there was no squad that was just enough to beat the Golden State Warriors dynasty. Looking back, it is probably the most offensively stacked squad in league history with the core of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and Klay Thompson. Due to Steve Kerr coming up with insane schemes to run, not a single collection of souls got to beat them when they were healthy. However, Keyshawn Johnson posits that any forward who could shoot would have been able to fulfill the role of the Slim Reaper.
Keyshawn Johnson undermines a big piece of the dynasty
Kevin Durant was clearly the missing piece that turned the Warriors into a dynasty. Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr had just lost the NBA Finals to LeBron James in 2016 which prompted some big franchise-altering moves. A lot of fans still marvel at the glory of how this team was so well-constructed, Keyshawn Johnson is not one of these individuals. He outlined his feelings on Durant's role on the Warriors, via Undisputed.
“If I put Paul Pierce on the Golden State Warriors with Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, & Steph Curry, you don't think he could do the same s***? He can do the same thing,” Johnson declared.
Alongside Curry and Kerr, Durant was able to notch three NBA Finals appearances, winning two Finals Most Valuable Player awards, and two Larry O'Brien trophies. He was the offensive weapon that the Warriors frontcourt could always rely on. In fact, the schematic changes from 2016 to 2017 were so significant because other squads could not find a way to pressure all of the Warriors when they deployed a five-out offensive philosophy.
While this stint was quite short and injuries bogged the Warriors down against the Toronto Raptors, the fear that this roster struck into the hearts of the association was immense.
Kevin Durant's stint with the Warriors
The biggest criticism of Durant's choice to join the Warriors was that he ran away from the grind. He also formed a superteam. These judgments still haunt the Slim Reaper to this very day. It usually affects conversations about his legacy. Nonetheless, individuals can never claim that he did not pour his heart out whenever he suited up with Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr.
In his run with the Warriors, he did not disappoint in any single of the 208 games that he played. In fact, he averaged 25.8 points in this system. The Slim Reaper did that with a scarily efficient 52.4% clip from all three levels of scoring. Clearly, it was helpful that he was also in a squad full of shooters but that does not mean that his contributions should be swept under the rug. Durant fit the Warriors' system like a glove.
Follow Us
Subscribe
