Kevin Durant has been nothing short of incredible since the Warriors' star told the world "I'm Kevin Durant".
He leads the playoffs in scoring with 34.3 points to go with 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists – numbers that have led his head coach Steve Kerr to proclaim that Durant is the best player in the game today.
"I think Kevin wants to be recognized as the best player in the world," Kerr told Sporting News' Joe Morgan. "And I happen to think he is. Now, on our team, he doesn't need to show it.
"He's not stat crazy. He's not a guy that chases numbers. He's content to let other people score.
Through the regular season, Durant and maybe even the Warriors as a whole looked almost bored at times.
That didn't stop Durant from appearing in his tenth straight All-Star game while averaging 26.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists shooting 52% from the field.
His 121 offensive rating was just a slight drop off from the 123 offensive rating he posted in his MVP season in 2013-14. His true shooting percentage this year of 63% is just one percent less than the 64% he put up in that same MVP year.
While some of the numbers are comparable, there's a large contingent of detractors who believe that joining an already stacked Warriors' roster made his job a lot easier. Taking things at face value would leave you to believe that it has, but come playoff time Kerr believes that KD becomes a different animal and regardless of the circumstances the truth is Durant is currently the league's best player.
"In the playoffs, when it's absolutely necessary that he becomes aggressive and takes over games," Kerr continues. "This is his time to take over. And it's when everyone is watching.
"And to me, it's pretty obvious watching the playoffs who the best player has been."
Durant will have another crack at proving his coach right when the Warriors step on the floor for Game 3 against the Rockets in Houston on Saturday night.
