What is the Legacy of Kevin Durant? Can the Suns be Fixed?: A Discussion 

TIMESTAMPS BELOW: Is there ANYWAY to fix this Suns team, and what is the legacy of Kevin Durant?? 0:17 How bleak is the Suns situation, and how can they fix it? 4:40 Jonny goes on a RANT about Bol Bol 7:22 Superteams have ALWAYS needed to gel 12:05 What is the legacy of Kevin Durant?

1 ring with Thunder would've meant more than his 2 with warriora

Thanks for having us on as always Jonny!!!

The legacy of KD is. One of the greatest scorer of all time absolutely, maybe a top 20 player. But didn't really took his own team when it mattered the most too success. Has also played with every star in the game trying to get that chip with without playing for a 73 win team.

KD will likely go down as a sensational scorer who tainted his career with his never ending dissatisfaction. I’m not kidding when I say he’d probably have a way different career if there wasn’t any Twitter.

Jonny said the obvious that no body was seeing. Super Teams ain't over just built them better! 😂

A luckier Tracy McGrady. A luckier James harden. A luckier Carmelo. Durant is just a player who can score a bit and got lucky to play on all time great team, and the other guys weren't. He's a soft bum.

johnny sounds so different

I feel like kids in the future will see KD as an all time great because of his talent and scoring ability having no Idea why their dad just yelled to them "No! Fuck KD!"

Always love this discussion with boys at Apex Greatness! They are criminally underrated

14:05 Russell is spitting the truth

Durant is a highly talented individual who also has great physical gifts for basketball. But his weak beta mindset has drastically decreased what was an unbelievable potential.

Always dropping dimes!

Unless Durant were to have a Dirk 2011 run to a championship where he's the #1 option, his legacy wont change. He'll always be known as the dude who made the weakest move in NBA history.

Happy Monday morning!!!😊😊

Could it be said that those who are pro Kevin Durant look at the career he’s carved out for himself (say what you want about ranking, but he’ll be a Hall of Famer), and those who are anti-Kevin Durant wonder what could’ve been if his championships were more satisfying, and perhaps if he developed more skills outside of versatile scoring?

KD easily could have been a top 10 nba player of all time. But he has failed to lead a team to championship despite being on OKC, Suns and Nets, all 3 teams had championship talents. His championships with Warriors aren't even worth mentioning. So as of right now, KD is merely a top 20 or 30 player of all time.

George Gervin +2x superteam rings

best closing line ever.

I have a feeling that the 2020's are going to be a bit like the 1970's in the NBA. We don't have one team that's been dominant, instead the talent pool is spread out and the likely hood of a back to back championship teams is not very high. We're at another turning point in the game where the old guard is fading out and this new group is taking over which is kind of leaving a power vacuum.

Thank you... Durant hasnt played team ball in years, a lot of Times he stands still until he gets the ball... That makes his a non threat.... They have no Point guard, their best defender is nurkic, they got a defensive Coach with 3 offensive guys who play little to no defense...

Observations: 1. GSW won 73 games. KD fits on ANY team, honestly. He just ISOs regardless of the team --- esp w/ Curry and Klay running around just shooting lights outs in their PRIME. 2. PHO HAD the team that went to the Finals: Ayton as the big (overrated but decent). scorer (Book), and the PG (CP3 w/ injuries). Then KD showed up and they had to blow it up -- and now no future picks. Ayton is soft so I get why they traded him. CP3, again, injuries. But now? Phoneix: 3 primary (SG) scorers on one team -- VS 20212 Miami w/ the bull dozing PG/SF in Lebron, spacer in Bosh who became the 3rd scoring shooting PF/C, and the slasher SG Wade who can get a bucket in the last minute.

Hey, Jonny! You, Dario, and Russell all made good points. This is a great discussion. As I watched your video, I remembered how, in one of your older videos, you mentioned (and showed a screenshot) that you congratulated the Golden State Warriors on winning the 2017 NBA Finals after they signed KD. It was pretty much anticlimatic (and I second Dario on that), and it goes to your point about KD's leadership skills. I totally agree that he hasn't shown that he can lead a team to win a championship. I feel the same way that Russell does - I'm tired of how he keeps jumping from team to team rather than to work on developing the leadership skills to lead a team to win it all. I need to listen to more Apex Greatness episodes. I hope you have a great week! Take care, Jonny :).

🏀

Jonny definitely sounds different from RU-vid vids than the podcast discussion

His legacy is *_EASY2RINGSNIPER_* like his name. Could have the *_easiest and lightest 3-peat_* if not for the injury. He is a *_great scorer_* that could pull up FROM THIRTY!! But that's about it. He could end up with the group of ringless greats if not for *_the weakest move_* in NBA history.

To be fair to Steven A, Booker never denied those claims lol

I hope the new era has superstars with a backbone

KD is one of the most portable offensive players ever. He definitely can adjust his game to basically any scheme. It’s mostly lebron who has to have a roster tailored to his offensive skill set. What lebron has that KD doesn’t is that he can elevate his teams offense outside of scoring by being an all time great passer, offensive and defensive playmaker, and raising his ceiling as a point of attack defender and secondary rim protector. KD has not elevated those other skills outside of scoring consistently in his career which is why he’s struggled to elevate teams without Westbrook and curry

Notice how we talk about kd when it comes to the suns and don't have the same standards for booker. Old man the best one on the team

Jonny why don’t you credit contagious MC?

Kevin Durant has lost yet another playoff series in the first round. This time, the Phoenix Suns super team of KD, Devin Booker & Bradley Beal were swept by Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Once again, Durant falls short of winning a championship without Steph Curry, who has already won after KD left Golden State to form his own super team in Brooklyn. KD's decision in 2016 is coming back to haunt him, as his legacy is being questioned time after time over the last couple of years since. He will regret making that move that drastically altered NBA history forever.

10:12 I think Booker was trying to learn to fit better with the team. He took more of a playmaking role at times and he’s grown a lot on the defensive end. I think it’s Durant and Beal that have too much pride. Durant famously thinks leadership is overrated in today’s NBA. Beal never really had any skills outside of scoring to begin with.

🎉❤

HE WILL BE REMEMBERED JUST LIKE OTHER TALENTS WERE/ARE BUT NEVER CHERISHED AND NOWHERE NEAR TOP 10

Draymond is underrated and always will be 😭

Lol I didn't expect you to look and sound like that lol.

Hey jonny can you do top 10 offensive players all time

Hay Jonny just wanted to say love your content and as a young viewer of the nba I kinda disagree with the point on kd being just a top 20 plug in piece and they would’ve won. I feel everyone just being naive about the fact that he literally saved his legacy and the worriers. He was arguably the 2nd or 3rd best player in the league at the time behind lebron and if you want to argue the fact of curry because his m.v.p season 2 seasons prior to the season Durant was a worrier, he out preformed both of them and became the finals m.v.p. Plus I don’t think any top 20 play would’ve fit in the worriers system at the time. Kevin Durant was such a specific archetype that worriers needed. He didn’t need to change the way he played to fit in they system, and most of all the team he was on didn’t know how to build around him so he moved on to where he still got the job done. It’s plenty of cases where superstars left the team and still didn’t accomplish getting a ring nor personal achievement. I feel Kevin Durant should be just as solidified as a goat and that’s not even my favorite player 😂. Again big fan, love your content and keep going your great.

I always thought Jonny looked very different, glasses, jeans, tucked shirt

Skills of an all time great. Mentality/leadership of a #2. If he is your 2nd best player, then you have a title favorite. But if he is your best player then you are coming up just short. I think a fringe top 20 player all time is pretty fair. Hes in the same tier as Dr J and Dirk as scoring forwards to me.

KD is Karl Malone, but less touching of kids and more jumping ship

Its a team builr to rock on 2k

“Carmelo Anthony sucks…” dude is a top 10 best scorer all time

Kevin “The Custodian” Durant. If you want your team to get swept let him be your number 1 option

The reality is that players don't care as much about winning now with the $50m per year salaries. They're focused on their personal brand and trying to become billionaires or whatever. Winning is secondary to business.

A "legacy" is how people choose to remember you. None of that is under anybody's control and since "everybody" hates Kevin Durant he will be remembered as a loser, "cupcake", "bus rider", "somebody that needs Steph Curry" (even though Steph and his Warriors teammates flew to The Hamptons to recruit him after blowing a 3-1 lead to the Cavaliers, a loser, a failure, that nobody will ever give credit for any of the things he has accomplished and is a "loser". So that is his "legacy".

Good video but man your voice doesn't sound the same compared to your other vids lol

What are your thoughts on Slick Watts? -Ron, The Almighty Rat King

Kevin Durant will have a similar legacy to Wilt. KD was one of the greatest players of all time, but he played in a league with incredible player depth against many other all time greats, and a league that was going through tremendous changes in the way the game was played. He didn't have the leadership capabilities needed, nor the tenacity and drive to win in order to beat the other greats of his time. Where wilt was arguably the greatest player of all time, and did not have the supporting cast of players, nor the leadership capabilities and tenacity to beat Bill Russel, who is the winningest player in basketball history.

PHOENIX WAS A FINALS TEAM WITHOUT KD ONCE HE GOT THERE EVERYTHING WENT DOWNHILL

Imagine his legacy today if he chose Boston instead of Golden State….

I don’t know why, I was expecting Jonny to look a lot older lol

Phoenix needs to sell their team to Seattle

KD top 10 all time greatest…he should stay with the Suns they just need a point guard

HE BOUGHT 2 CHIPS WHICH IS RARE BECAUSE ITS NOT EASY TO JUST PUT STARS TOGETHER AND WIN IT ALL.I DONT SEE HOW A REAL BASKETBALL FAN,ANALYST,PLAYER, CAN RESPECT KD.WE KNOW HOW GREAT A PLAYER HE IS BUT IT ENDS THERE FOR ME.

Fire who traded for Beal.....

KD the Roster Ruiner? Ruinee😂 idk how it would be put but yea 20:12

Lebron Steph and kd in golden state would be incredible

And the Knicks should say the hell away from Booker

A legacy one man left behind in a team sport where literal braindeads in the comments say he has a beta mindset . The fact that people still put him behind curry in skills where he came to one of the best teams of all time and still was the best player on that team should tell you far more than accolades which are all team accolades btw. This is not djokovic vs federer.

Kids problem is that he doesn't want to show out on offense and he doesn't give max effort he makes plays here & there he gets his # & that's it. He was never gonna win anything after playing with gsw bc he wants to play behind a star not be the main guy to lead the team and show out.

Durant's legacy is a great shooter but lack of winning and constantly switching teams that went nowhere, he ended up disappointing.

They had JaVale and got to the finals with him and they had a good p3 the sun's are just good but never great

THATS BASICALLY SAYING ANY ALL TIME GREAT CAN BE TOP 10 if this and that.Ok but he didn’t so he isn’t

I tried to think of a player in NBA history that I thought would be the closest to Durant's. I landed on Isiah Thomas. Both were considered two of the greatest players ever within their eras. They both were on legendary teams that won back to back titles, the infamous bad boy Pistons and the overpowered Warriors. Beyond that I think their legacies are going to be similar. While they maybe some of the greatest players of all time much of their influence seems to be within the eras they operated in. Isiah for all of his accolades, for all of his being on camera afterwards, he just doesn't really seem to matter as much anymore. It's like he can't escape relevance beyond what years he played in. I also think the public perception of his legacy has been a little soured over the years. Most fans really just seem him as the face of the bad boys and a lot of what was wrong with the era of the time. Which makes fans appreciate him less. I have a suspicion that Durant is going to be very similar in that regard. I don't think people will really think of him beyond the years he played and his relevance will decline at a similar rate. Except when people want to talk about the era of title and super team chasers. I think that is what fans are going to really remember him for. Of course he still has time to change this but that is the route I see him going.

Jesus loves you

Opposite of the Lebron effect

Just read the title will comment before I listen. To start with the positive 1 of the best scores of all time, a unicorn. Now for everything else didn’t live up to his ootential. Suppose he was a leader like Magic or Kobe? . Instead of being too 15 all time he maybe could have been as high as 3 alltime. Now he can’t crack the top 10. Soft temperamental and easily agitated always played with other stars and rarely won it all. 1 of the biggest what ifs in NBA history. What if the scarecrow had a heart. As great as he was suppose he had the will and heart to match his skills. If he was aaa killer on the court like on twitter he would be on everyone’s Mount Rushmore.

14-TIME ALL-STAR .. ROOKIE OF THE YEAR .. ALL-STAR GAME MVP .. 4-TIME SCORING CHAMP .. 2-TIME FINALS MVP .. 2-TIME NBA CHAMPION .. NBA MVP .. OLYMPIC GOLD 🏅 KEVIN DURANT LEGACY IS HE'S 1 OF THE GREATEST PLAYERS IN LEAGUE HISTORY .. AND HE SHOULD BE CELEBRATED AS SUCH ..

BARELY makes my TOP 20 list…. Besides getting buckets in the regular season, and his move to the warriors, not much else stands out. HOF’er? Of course.

Steph, is better than Durant. They don't beat Lebron in the 2017/2018 seasons without Durant. Not in both seasons.

This video is tone def as I've ever seen KD is 37 years old he wasn't a playoff chocker in his prime and his younger years he outplayed bron in the 2012 finals

this video is bullshit. js slandering kd. draymond of all people said that if kd ain’t joining them, gsw ain’t winning jack shit. yall are js biased gsw fans. steph curry is only better because the system is formed for him. and please. when gsw won the first chip, lebron was basically alone. they gave iggy the fmvp because they couldn’t give it to lebron. wake up

How is his legacy considered unique when his entire class of peers been doing this same garbage for the past 15 years?

Revision much??? Lebron didn't adjust in Miami...WADE and BOSH did that, and has talked about it....Lebron's teams - when he joins and rejiggers them - are readymade for him, he's never had to do things that are outside of his remit....is he more versatile than KD? Yes. But THAT'S a totally different convo...I've watched him on my Lakers for six years now, pounding the shit out of the ball, because he won't work off it.

Man you got to drop Dario. He is trash in terms of his analysis and delivery.

Now they fired Vogel because they had no other move to make. Any veteran point guard like Conley and a rim protector woulda made a big difference.