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Kevin Durant Praises Former Warriors Teammate for His Massive Contribution on the Court

Published 09/02/2020, 4:31 PM EDT

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Just how good was Kevin Durant as a Warrior? ‘The Slim Reaper’ slithered into the team and made himself the best player on the court. Alongside Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, KD dominated the NBA, winning back-to-back titles and Finals MVP awards. As good as Steph and Klay were, Draymond Green had a major impact on Durant’s game as well. 

But Green still gets hit with a lot of backlash, primarily for his on-court antics. His demeanor certainly has a few fans ranting on social media. But a lot of us might just see a tiny layer of his game, rather than the whole package. 

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Draymond Green has a lot to offer on the court, but he creates a quiet impression. He complements his teammates so well that their game automatically becomes easier. KD has been impacted by playing alongside Green, much to his benefit. Kevin Durant has now spoken out, saying that some people don’t realize this aspect of his former teammate’s game. 

“If you play the game, you don’t realize that stuff and you don’t see the flow of the game and when you look at Draymond, you only may see the antics as far as, how he hypes the crowd up, how he wants to hype his team up,” Durant said on ‘The Corp with A-Rod and Big Cat.’ 


“But the small stuff he does in the game really was beneficial for guys like Steph, Klay, and myself. Made us really comfortable on the offensive side.”

Kevin Durant used to get upset with casual fans 

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Athletes in the NBA possess a large game IQ. But not all fans possess a similar knowledge of the game. Some of them might watch it with a casual mindset, not going too deep into the intricacies. 

When some of these fans jump to conclusions and judge a player without knowing his deeper role, how does it affect KD? “I used to get upset because I thought everybody who watched the game, who chimed in on the game really pays attention like that,” he said.

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“But, it’s moving so fast, there’s a lot happening in the NBA. So it’s hard to focus in on the small parts of the game. So I get it, there’s an entertainment aspect to it and people enjoy what they see from the surface level. But there’s also some fans that wanna know this information as well. So, try to give them that too,” he reasoned. 

KD and Green formed a formidable partnership during their time as teammates. Golden State dominated the league in the 2010s, but now Kevin Durant is with a different team, partnering Kyrie Irving. Can KD add to his legacy by winning a ring with the Brooklyn Nets?

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Written by:

Arjun Athreya

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Arjun Athreya is a senior writer at Essentially Sports and has been contributing since early 2020. Having developed an avid interest in sports at an early age, he pursued a Journalism degree and graduated from Madras Christian College. Arjun manages the Golf division and its content, and primarily covers news pertaining to the NBA as well.
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