{"id":98611,"date":"2024-10-01T08:26:56","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T12:26:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=98611"},"modified":"2024-10-01T08:27:35","modified_gmt":"2024-10-01T12:27:35","slug":"top-25-nba-players-2024-25-no-9-kevin-durant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/01\/top-25-nba-players-2024-25-no-9-kevin-durant\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 25 NBA Players 2024-25: No. 9 \u2013 Kevin Durant"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next up on our <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/27\/top-25-nba-players-2024-25-no-10-jalen-brunson\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">top 25<\/a> list is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/duranke01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-30_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Durant<\/a>\u00a0of the Phoenix Suns. The veteran superstar forward is a superb three-level scorer with a unique skill set. Let&#8217;s dive into his game and spot on the list.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Top 25 NBA Players 2024-25: No. 9 \u2013 Kevin Durant<\/h2>\n<h3>A Historic Offensive Talent<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Durant is arguably the most gifted and complete scorer in NBA history. At 6-foot-11, Durant has an incredible combination of elite shooting, agility, and ball handling. He is an elite three-level scorer who particularly thrives as a mid-range scorer. This skill set, combined with his size, makes Durant an all-time great scorer and top 15-level player in league history. Durant is capable of carrying an offense with his shot creation, all while being able to fit with any lineup and play off-ball due to his shooting. Efficiency is a key part of Durant\u2019s offensive and scoring brilliance; he is one of the most efficient high-volume scorers of all-time. Durant pairs this with high-level defense, rebounding, and playmaking. With his size and length, Durant is highly impactful and versatile defensively. Durant&#8217;s two-way play often goes overlooked when discussing his game.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Kevin Durant BEST OF 23-24 Regular Season Highlights \u2620\ufe0f\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oC1M3Jc5GI4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Season Recap<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In his 16th season, Durant maintained his elite level of play. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/13\/kevin-durant-invests-in-european-powerhouse-sports-team\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Durant<\/a> made his 14th straight All-Star team and 11th All-NBA team. Notably, he posted averages of 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.0 assists on 52.3\/41.3\/85.6 shooting splits. Additionally, Durant had a 62.6 true percentage and was an above-average shooter from 12 out of 14 zones. Durant also ranked in the 95th percentile for <a href=\"https:\/\/dunksandthrees.com\/epm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">offensive<\/a> plus\/minus and overall <a href=\"https:\/\/dunksandthrees.com\/epm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">plus\/minus<\/a>. Durant\u2019s incredible scoring efficiency and advanced stats make him stand out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Safe to say Kevin Durant had a pretty impressive age 35 season\u2026 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PnagxVfZ7A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/PnagxVfZ7A<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 NBA University (@NBA_University) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBA_University\/status\/1811862923968393549?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 12, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, not everything about Durant and the Suns\u2019 season was positive. Despite putting together a new big three with Durant, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bookede01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-01_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Devin Booker<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bealbr01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-30_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bradley Beal<\/a>, the Suns finished as just the 6th seed. The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/01\/2024-25-nba-betting-preview-timberwolves-win-total-odds\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> swept the Suns in the first round in a series where\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/e\/edwaran01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-30_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anthony Edwards<\/a> dominated and only one game was decided by less than 10 points. Durant put up impressive averages of 26.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists on 55.2\/41.7\/82.4 shooting splits. While Durant\u2019s had good counting numbers this series losing a series in this fashion is a reflection on all of Phoenix\u2019s stars and highlights a disappointing overall season. Additionally, in Games 2 and 3 Durant was\u00a0uncharacteristically inefficient.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the summer, Durant won his fourth Gold Medal and became <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/06\/usa-set-for-rematch-against-serbia-kevin-durant-sets-usa-basketball-record-and-wemby-tops-olympic-list\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Team USA<\/a>\u2019s all-time leading scorer, cementing himself as the greatest Olympic basketball player of all-time. Notably, Durant played with Booker in the Olympics which could help the duo develop more on-court chemistry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Season Outlook<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the Suns&#8217; offseason <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/30\/phoenix-suns-stars-heap-praise-on-tyus-jones-signing\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">addition<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jonesty01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-30_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyus Jones<\/a> and hiring of <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/13\/phoenix-suns-reunite-mike-budenholzer-with-former-champion-mamadi-diakite\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Mike Budenholzer<\/a> Phoenix could be primed for a bounce-back season. Jones is an elite playmaker who will fill a clear void for the Suns as they didn\u2019t have a natural point guard last year. Furthermore, Budenholzer should implement a more fluid offense. Even though several Western Conference teams improved, there\u2019s no reason the Suns can\u2019t compete for a top-three seed, especially considering their star power. Last season the Suns starting five posted an impressive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/lineups\/advanced?slug=advanced&amp;SeasonType=Regular+Season&amp;TeamID=1610612756&amp;GroupQuantity=5\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">net rating<\/a> of 11.1, while the trio of Durant, Booker, and Beal posted a 6.6 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/lineups\/advanced?CF=GROUP_NAME*E*Durant:GROUP_NAME*E*Beal:GROUP_NAME*E*Book&amp;GroupQuantity=3&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;TeamID=1610612756&amp;slug=advanced\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">net rating<\/a> with Jones in the mix, these lineups will get even better.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At 36, it will be interesting to see if Durant can maintain the same level of offensive responsibilities or if Booker will get an even larger offensive load.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With another productive season and more team success Durant could reclaim his spot in the top-five. Conversely, a similar season to last year could see Durant dip further in the rankings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Last Word\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Considering his incredible talent and elite scoring nine feels somewhat low for Durant, it&#8217;s certainly possible he will return to a higher ranking after this season. For the time being,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Durant&#8217;s lack of playoff success in recent years and injury history hold him back from a top-five spot. While Durant had a productive playoff series, and the roster around him wasn&#8217;t perfect, with that much offensive talent, not winning a game in the playoffs along with Phoenix&#8217;s regular season is beyond disappointing. Both Durant and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/23\/top-25-nba-players-2024-25-no-14-devin-booker\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Booker<\/a> were bumped down on this list due to this lackluster season.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regardless, Durant\u2019s sustained success and incredible scoring are highly impressive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><br style=\"font-weight: 400;\" \/>Keep up with our top 25 list <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?s=Top+25+NBA+Players+2024-25\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Next up on our top 25 list is\u00a0Kevin Durant\u00a0of the Phoenix Suns. The veteran superstar forward is a superb three-level scorer with a unique skill set. Let&#8217;s dive into his game and spot on the list.\u00a0 Top 25 NBA Players 2024-25: No. 9 \u2013 Kevin Durant A Historic Offensive Talent Durant is arguably the most [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4779,"featured_media":98756,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,28],"tags":[69,5031,49488],"class_list":["post-98611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-suns","tag-kevin-durant","tag-nba-player-rankings","tag-top-25-nba-players-2024-25"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4779"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98611\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}