Kevin Durant: ‘I’m Not as Smart as I Thought I Was About the Game’

Playing for the Golden State Warriors has been an eye-opening experience for Kevin Durant.

Forget all of the off-court drama and silly online kvetching about his unpopular free agent decision to join the Dubs—KD is receiving a valuable education and improving his overall game.

Durant is also having a ton of fun.

Per the Mercury News:

“I’m used to going into practice and having it a certain way,” he said. “These guys around here are super loose. But disciplined at the same time. It’s just a fun brand. They make basketball just even more fun than it was.”

 

Wham. “Than it was.” Indirect or not, positive or negative, any Durant comment about how things are now will find direct comparisons against what he left. To many, a compliment for the Warriors will double as a shot at the Thunder. […] “I didn’t say that,” Durant said sternly, then repeated. “I didn’t say that.”

 

There have been many opinions about why Durant decided to make this mid-career leap. Plenty of factors are at play. An under told one: his desire to alter his game and morph as a player. That’s rare for an established 28-year-old future Hall of Famer. They typically prefer to play like they’ve grown accustomed. New acquisitions can fit around them. Durant went the other way. […] “There’s a lot I need to learn about the game of basketball,” he said. “I’m not as smart as I thought I was about the game.”