Never one to back down from a conversation, Draymond Green, a forward for the Golden State Warriors, responded to some odd remarks made about Kevin Durant’s career by the general manager of the Phoenix Suns.
during the Suns’ humiliating first-round series loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jones asserted that Phoenix is still attempting to be the first team to fully utilize Durant during his 16-year career in the NBA.
Draymond Green says he was ‘baffled’ by James Jones’ comments while pointing out Kevin Durant’s success at the Golden State Warriors
During his most recent podcast episode on Friday, Green was quick to remind Jones that he had the opportunity to play against Durant in the 2017 NBA Finals, but Jones obviously made the decision to ignore that memory.
“When I saw James Jones make this comment, I was perplexed…In 2017, James Jones played for a team that fell short against Kevin Durant in the NBA Finals. I find it difficult to accept that James Jones could publicly declare that “no one has been able to maximize Kevin Durant” after the Cavs’ assassination.
With only eight minutes of action over the course of the five-game series, Jones had plenty of chance to observe as Durant destroyed the Cavaliers on route to becoming MVP of the Finals. In addition to his impressive 55.6% field goal and 47.4% three-point shooting average, he averaged 35.2 points per game and added 8.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 blocks, and a steal.
"I'm sorry, but YOU didn't maximize Kevin Durant" 🤣
Draymond responds to James Jones’ KD comments @TheVolumeSports pic.twitter.com/n8t6iwTJLQ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 3, 2024
But more to Green’s point, is there really any way to maximize a player beyond those kinds of numbers? Twelve months later, in a Finals sweep versus Cleveland, Durant averaged 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 2.3 blocks. As if that wasn’t enough.
In the Timberwolves’ first-round series, Durant was incredibly effective, yet his 26.8 points were the third fewest of his 13-year playoff career. That would appear to imply that, in line with Jones’ assertion, the Suns did not make the most of the 35-year-old.
However, to imply that he has never reached his full potential is almost insulting to the reputation Durant has established, or at the at least, it creates an unjustified hope that he will improve at this point in his career.