Durant compares 76ers to Warriors, slights Klay Thompson
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- Kevin Durant labeled the 2026-27 Philadelphia 76ers (LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey) championship contenders because they have "four 25-point scorers," drawing a direct line to his 2016-17 Warriors
- Durant fired back at a fan who wrote "Ain't close" by reducing Klay Thompson to "22 PPG" with no mention of his elite defense or off-ball movement, prompting Thompson to respond "Aye man, u good?"
- Durant's scoring-only rationale ignores defense, versatility, depth, passing and rebounding — and the article notes his 2023-24 Phoenix Suns (Durant, Booker, Beal) and Brooklyn Nets (Durant, Irving, Harden) also featured three 20-point scorers and underperformed, never advancing past the second round
- The comparison collapses on age: LeBron turns 42 in December and Embiid is 32 with significant injury concerns, while 2016-17 Stephen Curry was a two-time reigning MVP in his prime
- The article argues Draymond Green mattered more to Golden State's titles than Durant did, citing the Warriors' championships in 2015 and 2022 without Durant and noting Durant's Instagram post omitted Green's DPOY, All-Defense nods and role as the offense's "quarterback"
Why it matters: Durant's argument collapses on its own track record: his prior three-20-point-scorer Suns and Nets teams flamed out early, and his 76ers comparison ignores that LeBron turns 42 in December while Embiid is 32 and injury-prone — unlike 2016-17 Curry, who was a two-time reigning MVP in his prime. Reducing Thompson and Green to box-score scorers also exposes how thin the "four 25-point scorers" framing is against the Warriors' defense-and-system title formula.
