Best NBA Draft Lottery pick: OKC Thunder, Kevin Durant
While Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder on controversial terms, one can not simply forget the impact that he left on the team. This was a Thunder team that had just moved from Seattle over to Oklahoma City. For a team in a city where there is no other major professional sports team, the franchise needed to quickly establish its presence there to garner new fans and gain a following within the city.
Durant helped to mend the transition to Oklahoma City by quickly becoming a must-watch superstar forward. Sure, the Thunder did later draft both Russell Westbrook and James Harden to form one of the most potent and young Big 3s in the league. But the main attraction for the franchise was Durant. With the capability to light up the scoreboard within seconds and create mismatches in isolation situations due to his size, Durant had fans on their seat watching his once-in-a-generation type scoring prowess.
Durant accomplished many feats on an individual level as a member of the Thunder. From winning the NBA MVP award to claiming four scoring champions, the 6-10 forward has already put his name up there with the greatest forwards to ever play in the league.
As mentioned, Durant did leave the Thunder on bitter terms as he signed with the Warriors in 2016. But his impact on the team should not be forgotten. Without him, the Thunder very likely would not have enough with Westbrook and Harden to make deep playoff runs over the early portions of the last decade. Durant was that giant puzzle piece for those prolific Thunder teams.
Kevin Durant OKC Thunder stats and accolades
- 641 games, 27.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists per game
- 7X All-Star, 4X scoring champion
- 2014 MVP, 2008 Rookie of the Year