So I was perusing the February 9th edition of Sports Illustrated and came across one of my favorite sections, "Go Figure." The very first entry caught my eye...
27.5, 9.6, 8.2
Points, rebounds and assists averaged by LeBron James in January, the best month in those categories since Larry Bird in March 1987.
With the month Kevin Durant had, I wondered how close he was to these amazing statistics. I knew he scored a bunch of points and was rebounding well, and figured he'd be a little behind in the assists category, and thats exactly what I found after doing a little research.
27.8, 8.8, 3.7
That is the same stat line, but this time its Kevin Durants. He edged out Lebron in points per game, and trailed ever so slightly in rebounds. The only department KD is lacking in, is assists. He has tremendous ability to create for himself, but one has to wonder how dominating a player he'll be when he learns how to get the others involved more. If he ever jumps that assists total 4-5 points per game higher, he will have easily ascended into NBA Superstardom.
When you take a step back and look at his statline for January compared to Lebrons, you really have to be impressed with those stats. After all, Durant is still only halfway through his second season in the NBA and still isn't old enough to legally walk into a convenience store and buy a beer. Of course what Lebron is doing is equally insane considering he's only 24. The point is, if you weren't already on the KD NBA Superstar train, its time to pile on the back as he takes his game to another level over the next couple of years.