Kevin Durant Reveals What James Harden Learned From His Time With Russell Westbrook at Thunder: “It Taught Him the Business of Basketball”

Published 01/05/2022, 1:00 PM EST

If Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden were in the same team today, NBA fans would almost definitely call them a super team. Some NBA fans do not know that this trio has already had a stint in the NBA Finals when they were on the same team. Surprisingly, the Oklahoma City Thunder drafted these three legends into the NBA. However, they failed to convert their primes into NBA championships for the Thunder. They could only go as far as winning individual MVP awards, but the franchise never went all the way.

And now, Harden and Durant have teamed up again, while Westbrook plays for the Lakers and the Thunder are rebuilding. This trio is still on contending teams, with Westbrook and Harden looking for their first NBA Championship ring. However, this does not mean that they did not have any crucial takeaways from their time at the Thunder. Kevin Durant even admitted that James Harden’s stint with the OKC gave him crucial fundamentals for his stellar career.

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Durant reveals what James Harden learned from his time with OKC

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“I think he was groomed right in OKC,” Durant told The Athletic. “(It) taught him about the business of basketball, talking about what winning meant. We went to the Finals, and we were expected to win every game. So that is a blessing to have that coming into the league. A lot of high picks like him go to losing teams and build a losing mentality. So, he learned what it takes to win, and he used that to catapult him into being a superstar.”

What does this mean for Russell Westbrook and James Harden’s legacy?

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Some fans fear to this day that Harden and Westbrook may never win an NBA championship. Whereas Durant had to team up with the greatest backcourt in the NBA to get his rings. So now that Durant and Harden are on the same team again, could Harden end his ring-less woes? However, Westbrook has also formed a super team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis at the Lakers. So can he finally end his championship ring draught? Let us know what you think about it.

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Written by:

Chaitanya Dadhwal is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Even though his journalism is driven by his desire to understand both sides of an argument and give a neutral perspective, he is biased towards Houston Rockets and Arsenal, and he has shown exactly how loyal he can be through tough times. Currently a Law student at Jindal Global Law School, he aims to have his own sports management firm one day and enjoys rap music during his time off.

Kevin Durant Reveals What James Harden Learned From His Time With Russell Westbrook at Thunder: “It Taught Him the Business of Basketball”

Durant reveals what James Harden learned from his time with OKC

What does this mean for Russell Westbrook and James Harden’s legacy?

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