We have seen more than one current NBA star come out and indicate that the new marriage between Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant will not work.
This has been a common point of contention since Durant decided to sign with the Golden State Warriors — a decision that has led to some major backlash.
One player that doesn’t seem to think there’s going to be an issue is Indiana Pacers All-Star Paul George.
“I think they (Durant and Curry) both are going to have to be willing to give up something,” George said, via Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. “But they are both unselfish players, so it will definitely work. You can’t forget what Klay (Thompson) brings and what Draymond brings. With those four guys, you can’t have an alpha. Everybody has to be willing to give up something for that team.”
There is a nice amount of truth to George’s comments.
Durant still found a way to average five assists per game last season. This came on an Oklahoma City Thunder squad that saw Russell Westbrook put up over 18 shots per game.
Meanwhile, in Oakland, Curry averaged nearly seven assists per game on a Warriors squad saw fellow All-Stars Klay Thompson and Draymond Green combine to attempt nearly 28 shots per outing.
The larger issue here isn’t just how well Durant and Curry are going to mesh. As George states, both play unselfish basketball. Rather, it’s more about who will be willing to take a major back seat between Thompson and Green.
In reality, one of them is going to see a major decline in shot attempts this upcoming season. Considering Green is the one that openly campaigned for Durant to sign with the Warriors, our money is on him to play the unselfish team-first role.
As it is, the distribution of shots and just how different Golden State’s offense looks next season will be two of the most underrated stories for the two-time defending Western Conference champs.