Kevin Durant‘s decision to sign with the Warriors in 2016 marked a major turning point for the NBA. Turning villain overnight, the 2014 MVP found himself under heavy scrutiny. With many calling it a weak move, the Slim Reaper braced himself for a string of hostile situations. In what looked like a re-run of LeBron James‘ ‘The Decision,’ one expected a lot of negativity coming KD’s way. Fortunately, the former OKC superstar had the full support of his new teammates, who were willing to go the extra mile to protect him from all the outside noise.
Recently, appearing on The OGs Podcast with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller, Warriors veteran Andre Iguodala shared insights about Durant’s initial days in the Bay. The 2015 Finals MVP revealed how the roster took responsibility for protecting KD from all the jeers and trolling.
Andre Iguodala Gets Candid on Warriors Integrating Kevin Durant
Ensuring Swift Adjustments for KD
Before Durant’s arrival on the scene, Golden State had already won a championship in 2015. Followed it up with a historic 73-9 season but failed to get the desired ending. Blowing a 3-1 lead against the Cavaliers in the 2016 Finals, the Warriors viewed KD as the missing piece. Addressing the onboarding of Durant, Iggy had the following to say,
“We had a special group. And I always say like, if it wasn’t for Stephen Curry none of this would happen,” revealed Iguodala. Echoing Miller’s take of KD being the greatest basketball scorer of all time, the Warriors veteran talked about the squad’s intention to protect Durant at any cost.
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“We understood that we had to protect KD too. Like don’t let some folks come in here and try to you know break us apart. You know, over time they keep chopping, chopping, chopping… they’ll succeed at it. But we going to get what we got to get before they do that. And so with KD, it was like, man let’s make sure we take care of KD.”
Iggy believed the unselfish mentality on the roster made things easy for everybody. There was a common consensus to give KD his iso looks and play to his strengths, keeping the long-term goal in mind.
The Warriors Dynasty
In his first season with the Warriors, Durant led the team to a championship, even winning the Finals MVP. Heading into the next season, the 14-time All-Star was well-versed in coach Kerr’s system. Going back-to-back in 2018, KD won his second consecutive title and Finals MVP award. On the quest for a three-peat, cracks had begun to appear in the locker room concerning Durant. His controversial on-court argument with Draymond Green was a major sign for things to come in the future.
Nevertheless, Golden State managed to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals, making it their third consecutive time. Looking to create history after the Lakers 2000-2002, KD’s Achilles injury in the finals against the Raptors forbid them from achieving this great feat. This also marked the end of Durant’s stint in the Bay Area, who decided to sign with the Brooklyn Nets in 2019.
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