Golden State Warriors: 5 goals for Kevin Durant in 2017-18

4. Maintain career scoring average on reduced volume

Durant would not have come to Golden State if he was unwilling to sacrifice shots, and the Warriors would not have signed him if they thought that to be the case. In Year 1, he attempted a career-low 16.5 field goals per game (down from 19.2 in 2015-16), and was rewarded with a championship.

He was also rewarded with the most efficient season of his career. Durant’s true shooting percentage was 65.1, despite his worst 3-point percentage in six years. There’s no reason that number shouldn’t return to his 39.7 percentage from the previous four years, if not go beyond that. He is left open far more often in Oakland than he was in Oklahoma City, and he feasted on those looks last postseason (44.2 percent).

Even his 2-point percentage could go up. He is now integrated into the Warriors’ complex scheme, and again, we saw him find cheap buckets throughout the playoffs.

The Warriors do not need a more efficient Durant in order to obliterate the league. However, Durant averages the fourth-most points per game (27.2) in NBA history. Given that fewer shots is his new reality, he will need increased efficiency to maintain that standing.