Golden State Warriors: 5 Midseason Takeaways

2. Kevin Durant Has Never Been More Dangerous

As long as Kevin Durant stays in the Bay Area, he’ll probably never have another season like his 2013-14 MVP campaign, when he averaged a monstrous 32.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks per game on .503/.391/.873 shooting splits.

And yet somehow, KD has perhaps never been more dangerous than he is in the NBA’s most high-powered offense. The Dubs lead the association in offensive rating at an outrageous 113.6 points per 100 possessions — even better than last year’s 112.5 offensive rating.

KD is also as efficient as he’s ever been, shooting a career-high 54.3 percent from the field, 39.0 percent from three-point range and 86.3 percent from the foul line. The fact that he’s doing all this in just 34.3 minutes per game, with a +11.8 point differential that ranks second in the NBA, is truly frightening.

Durant’s 26.1 points per game aren’t anything special, but he’s also averaging a career-high 8.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, a career-high 1.7 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. His defense is as imposing and well-rounded as it’s ever been, particularly at the rim, and it will be a borderline travesty if he’s not nominated to an NBA All-Defensive team in a few months.

Though the Warriors still rely on KD to do what he does best and isolate when the offense needs a basket, his catch-and-shoot prowess and ability to manipulate defenders off the dribble when flanked by Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson has made him as dangerous as he’s ever been.