Friday, February 7, 2025

Kevin Durant thinks the same of Kawhi Leonard now

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By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant says that he stands by his comments about Kawhi Leonard in 2014. Back then, when the San Antonio Spurs won their fifth NBA Championship over the Miami Heat, Durant got into a Twitter debate over which player was better.

Durant had an opportunity to choose from Finals MVP Leonard or Indiana Pacers’ Paul George. When Durant made his comments on who he’d chosen, he made some people. He implied that Leonard wouldn’t be the player if he wasn’t in the Spurs system.

Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant shoots the basketball against the San Antonio Spurs during the game
Kevin Durant shoots the basketball against the San Antonio Spurs during the game (Photo by Chris Covatta/NBAE via Getty Images)

On Saturday night, the Spurs and the Thunder will play each other at Chesapeake Energy Arena. But after Leonard has developed into a star, it seems like Durant is lessening his stance.

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“He’s grown as a player,” Durant said following his team’s win over the Utah Jazz on Thursday, according to ESPN’s Royce Young. “He’s not a system player,” he added, unprompted.

“I know you guys like to throw that term around, but he’s just grown so much as a player. I have to be locked in every play. He can shoot the midrange, he can post up, he can hit the 3, he can dribble, and he’s just grown so much. Defensively, probably one of the best guys in the league. It’s fun when you get that matchup at the small forward. There are so many great guys, but he’s one of the guys in that top tier.”

When prompted if Durant regrets making his comments nearly two years, ago, he gave a blunt response.

“No, I don’t,” Durant said. “At the time, I didn’t even call him a system player. I just said Paul George was better. I like Paul George better as a player. I can be a fan of the game, too. One of my guys was debating with me saying he was better than Paul George at the time, and I didn’t think so.

“I’m not taking it back. I said the system is the reason why he’s out there, Pop (Gregg Popovich) put him in great positions to be the player that he is. No, I don’t regret it at all. That was three years ago. If he hasn’t grown, that’s on him. But he’s grown as a player, but yeah, I don’t take it back.”

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While he won the Finals MVP on the day he lost his father years prior, he’s lived up to the expectations that the award has put on him. It’s pretty safe to say that he’s not a product of head coach Gregg Popovich’s system.

He’s averaging a career-high 23.1 points as he has a larger role with the Spurs this season. He’s their future with LaMarcus Aldridge, as Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili see their careers dwindle down.

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    Anthony Caruso III
    Anthony Caruso IIIhttps://thecapitalsportsreport.com
    Anthony Caruso III is the Publisher of The Capital Sports Report. He has been in the Journalism field since August 2002. Since that time, Mr. Caruso has covered many marquee events. This includes 13 Heisman Trophy ceremonies, 2 Little World Series events, and one Army-Navy College Football game.
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