Golden State Warriors: Four takeaways from win over New Orleans Pelicans

Kevin Durant is a legitimate rim protector

Kevin Durant is one of the greatest scorers ever. In fact, one could make the argument that he might be the best at putting the ball in the basket in the history of the game. His defense has never really been a talking point for the majority of his career.

In the 2016 Western Conference Finals, it was clear that Durant dedicated himself to that side of the floor for seven games. When he joined the Golden State Warriors, it was imperative that he commit himself to defense for an entire year. He did, but he might be looking to do even more.

Durant averaged a career-high 1.6 blocks last year. He’s working hard to make sure that people don’t think that was a fluke. He got off to a great start in the game against the Pelicans. He was protecting the rim like his life depended on it.

Durant finished the game with seven blocks, two of which came when he only had one shoe on. He helped from the weakside to bat attempts at the rim in the halfcourt. He also was fantastic on the fast break, summoning his inner-LeBron James with the chasedown block.

His ability to defend the rim makes him the perfect player to pair with Draymond Green in the Warriors’ small lineups.