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Kevin Durant remains top-10 player in NBA by ESPN

Oct 6, 2024; Palm Desert, California, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) moves the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Acrisure Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images

Even at age 36, Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant is still a top-10 player in the NBA heading into the 2024-25 season, according to ESPN.

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After being ranked at No. 7 before last season, Kevin Durant came in at No. 9 on this year’s rankings.

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin explained why Durant fell two spots:

“Durant’s ranking is more of a reflection of the ascension of others than any atrophy of his game. After all, last season he appeared in 75 games — 20 more than he played in any season since suffering a torn Achilles in 2019. He was his usual efficient self, averaging 27.1 points on 52/41/86 shooting splits and earning his 14th All-Star nod. While he could have been dinged for the Suns’ underwhelming playoff performance, it’s hard to peg the first-round loss on him after he averaged 26.8 points on 55/42/82 shooting splits against Minnesota in the four-game series. He showed off his sustained excellence all over again during the Paris Olympics as the team’s third-leading scorer, behind Stephen Curry and LeBron James.”

McMenamin added two more talking points about Durant in his description:

“Biggest question for 2024-25: Can the Suns win as constructed? Durant is already recognized as an all-time great, but the only way he can even further solidify his reputation is to replicate the championship success he had with Golden State. That pursuit has stalled in recent seasons, as he has been swept out of the first round in two of the past three seasons with Brooklyn and Phoenix. The franchise replaced coach Frank Vogel with Mike Budenholzer in the offseason and signed point guard Tyus Jones, but the team’s ceiling still figures to be determined by how well Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal mesh together.

“Stat to watch this season: 2,495 points. That’s how many Durant needs to move past Wilt Chamberlain from No. 8 to No. 7 on the NBA scoring list. Championships aside, Durant’s ability to climb that list as he closes out his career will be a guaranteed way to boost his legacy. It’s a lofty number to reach in a season — he has totaled that many points just once before, when he scored 2,593 points in 2013-14 for the Oklahoma City Thunder — but he did score 2,032 points last season. It was the first time he topped 2,000 since his final season with the Warriors in 2018-19 and the seventh time he eclipsed that total in his career.”

This was ESPN’s full top 10:

  1. Nikola Jokic
  2. Luka Doncic
  3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
  4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
  5. Jayson Tatum
  6.  Stephen Curry
  7. LeBron James
  8. Joel Embiid
  9. Kevin Durant
  10. Anthony Edwards

Durant’s co-star Devin Booker was No. 15 on the list yesterday, while Beal placed No. 70. No other Suns player appeared on the rankings. The panel that voted was comprised of 150 reporters, editors, analysts and producers who ranked the best players going into the new season.

As McMenamin wrote, Durant played in 75 games last season and averaged the fifth-most points in the NBA at 27.1 per game on 52.3/41.3/85.6 shooting splits to go along with 6.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team, his 11th All-NBA team of his career.

Durant enters this season looking to get more open looks and to turn the ball over less in a new system under Budenholzer. He also only needs 1,076 more points to become the eighth player in NBA history to reach 30,000 for his career.

“There’s some guys that we joke they just roll out of bed and they make shots and score 20 or 30,” Budenholzer said of Durant. “Just God-given talent. And I think it’s a lot of work and a lot of preparation throughout his whole life. He’s always working on his craft, he’s a committed professional. But there’s also just a feel that Kevin has, that is rare and unique.”

Do you think this ranking for Durant is justified? Where would you rank him?

Devin Booker places in top 15 on ESPN’s NBA player rankings

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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau

 

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