KD earning this week’s honor a no-brainer.
On Monday, the NBA announced Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Considering how red-hot he’s been playing of late, this should come as no surprise.
NBA Players of the Week for Week 4.
West: Stephen Curry (@warriors)
East: Kevin Durant (@BrooklynNets) pic.twitter.com/mCpkE6TYoo— NBA (@NBA) November 15, 2021
The Slim Reaper has been in rare form and, even after tweaking his shoulder against the Bulls last Monday, has been otherworldly. Over his last 4 games, Durant is averaging 34 minutes per game with a stat line of 32.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and shooting splits of 62.9/52.6/91.1.
Nicknamed “Efficiency Man” by some in NBA Twitter, Durant is not only dropping buckets but doing it in ways never before seen. Over those 4 games, Durant never shot lower than 52 percent from the field. This stretch also included a surgical 30-point performance against the Magic in which Durant missed only 1 of his 12 shot attempts. He became just the second player in franchise history to score 30 points in a game while having a field goal percentage above 90%.
With the absence of Kyrie Irving and James Harden slowly returning to form, Durant hasn’t missed a beat in terms of carrying this team so far on the young season.
Headed Back To Cali
Tuesday night will see the Nets take on the Golden State Warriors, who currently the NBA’s best record (11-2).
As if this potential early season NBA Finals preview didn’t have enough draw to it, Stephen Curry was awarded Player of the Week honors for the Western Conference. Curry in his own right has had an MVP-caliber start to the season (28.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 6.7 apg) and has been putting up gaudy numbers himself.
Over his last 4 games, Curry is averaging 34.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 7.8 assists. This includes a 40-point outing against the Bulls on Friday and a 50-point explosion last Monday against the Hawks.
Although he isn’t shooting it with the efficiency Durant has, Curry is still one of the most dangerous scorers on the planet and can absolutely devastate a team with his three-point shooting. In those 4 games, Curry has made a total of 24 3-pt FGs. In two of those games, he hit nine. Needless to say, his range is limitless and when he’s in the zone, run for cover.
This isn’t your typical Warriors team of the past the Nets will be facing either. Yes, Curry and Draymond Green are still there but the youth movement in Golden State has been a revelation. Their young cast of guards including Jordan Poole, Damion Lee, and Gary Payton II has helped elevate the squad as they await the return of Klay Thompson. Andrew Wiggins has also stepped up in a big way for them as well.
The Warriors not only lead the league in points per game (115.1) but also in assists (29.5). And don’t think they don’t get after it on defense too as their 10.6 steals per game ranks No. 1 in the league.
Joe No Go
With Joe Harris officially listed as Out for Tuesday, the Nets will be without their best three-point shooter in what’s sure to be a high-scoring affair. Patty Mills is fresh off a career night in which he knocked down 9 three-pointers however someone will need to pick up the slack for him if he’s potentially picking up the slack for Harris.
The first home game after a long road trip can sometimes be regarded as the “last road game” so the Nets will need to be sharp to keep an energetic and free-flowing Warriors team in check.
Although teams are only about 14 or so games into the season, Tuesday night’s matchup certainly has some added intrigue around it especially with it being Durant’s former team. If KD and Steph show up Tuesday like they have this past week, fans could be in for a real treat.
