Durant, the strongest scorer in active service, has to be said that his one-on-one ability is indeed at the historical level

June 10, in the world of basketball, the definition of a scorer is often linked to talent, skill and calmness at critical moments. Kevin Durant, the strongest scorer at the current service, redefined the meaning of the word "scoring" with his unsolved one-on-one ability and historical offensive firepower. From the NBA arena to the FIBA ​​stage, Durant's name is always associated with "unstoppable", especially in the training of the Dream Team, his one-on-one ability is praised by his teammates and coaches as an "invincible" existence.

Durant's one-on-one ability is so terrifying because of his unique physical conditions. He is 2.08 meters tall and has an amazing 2.25 meters. This static talent allows him to naturally develop a dislocation advantage when facing any defender. The speed of the defender, the flexibility of the forward, and the height of the center are perfectly integrated in Durant. When he faces the defender with the ball, the defender often falls into a dilemma: if he gets too close, Durant can pass it in one step; if he goes too far, he can easily end it with a pull-up jump shot. This "high and fast" characteristic makes his single-handed challenge almost impossible to target.

Technically, Durant's arsenal is hopelessly rich. His shooting feel is so soft that it seems to be innate. Whether it is a cold arrow outside the three-point line or a mid-range emergency stop jump shot, his shooting percentage is ridiculously high. What's even more terrifying is that Durant's dribble skills are top-notch among big men, with his change of direction under his crotch, dribbling behind his back, and hesitation move at will. During the 2010 World Championships, American team assistant coach Jay Triano recalled: "When the team fights in one go, Durant will shake off the defense with a series of changes of directions, and then shoot over your head - you know what he is going to do, but you can't interfere at all." This feeling of powerlessness that "knows but cannot be defended" is the core embodiment of Durant's ability to fight one-on-one. The performance in the international arena further confirms Durant's dominance in one-on-one matches. At the 2012 London Olympics, Durant became the scoring leader of the Dream Team with an average of 19.5 points per game; at the 2016 Rio Olympics, he led the US team to easily win the championship with an average of 19.4 points per game. In informal occasions, the legend of Durant playing invincible in the Dream Team training has been circulating for many years. Former US men's basketball general manager Jerry Colangelo revealed: "Every time the team is in a group confrontation, players will decide the order of selecting people through a one-on-one challenge. Durant is always the last one to be picked - because no one is willing to guard against him." This kind of "avoided battle" treatment has never been enjoyed by super giants such as Kobe and James.

Compared with other top scorers in history, Durant's one-on-one ability is unique. Compared with Jordan's violent breakthrough and Kobe's gorgeous steps, Durant relies more on simple and efficient offensive methods. He has no extra movements, and he can often complete the entire process from catching the ball to scoring within three seconds. NBA legend Charles Barkley commented: "Durant is like a sophisticated scoring machine. If you give him a little space, he can send the ball into the basket." This ability to "simplify the complexity" makes his single-handed challenge far more efficient than that of his players of the same generation. Data shows that Durant can score 1.12 points per round in his one-on-one career, ranking among the top three in history. The cold-blooded performance at critical moments is the ultimate annotation of Durant's ability to fight one-on-one. In the 2017 Finals G3, he hit the quasi-final three-pointer that determined the title; in the 2021 playoffs, he scored 49 points with doubts after ruptured Achilles tendon, including the tie at the last moment of regular time. These pictures together outline a fact: when the game reaches a white heat, Durant is often the most terrifying "killer" on the court. Warriors coach Steve Cole once said: "Give the ball to KD at the last moment is not tactics, but common sense."

However, Durant's one-on-one myth is not without weaknesses. As he gets older and injuries accumulate, his explosiveness decreases, and defenders begin to use more physical confrontation to consume him. In the 2023-24 playoffs, the Celtics used Jaylen Brown and Tatum to take turns to defend, and combined with the strategy of weak side assisting defense, which limited Durant's efficiency to a certain extent. But even so, he can still deliver an average of 28.5 points. As Nets teammate Patty Mills said: "Even if KD feels cold, you still think he will make a move next time he attacks - this is the metaphysics of a great scorer."

From a more macro perspective of basketball development, Durant represents the ideal scorer template for modern basketball. In the context of emphasizing space and efficiency in the small ball era, he can not only carry a large number of singles like a traditional scorer, but also seamlessly integrate into the team system. This balance between "individual and collective" allows him to maintain terrifying output stability, whether in the Thunder, Warriors or the Suns. Famous trainer David Alexander pointed out: "Durant redefined the offensive possibility of big men, and now the whole world is looking for the 'next KD'."

When we turn our attention to the future, the 35-year-old Durant is still refreshing people's perception of scoring ability. In the 2024-25 season, he became the youngest 28,000-pointer gentleman in history, while maintaining a true shooting percentage of 55.2%. Behind these numbers is a basketball wise man who sublimates the one-on-one challenge into art. Perhaps as he said, "I don't pursue gorgeousness, I only pursue effectiveness." This pure and ultimate scoring philosophy is the ultimate code for Durant to firmly sit on the throne of "the strongest scorer at the moment". In the collective sport of basketball, he proved that when his personal ability reaches its extreme, he can indeed surpass tactics - and this is the realm that all single-handed masters dream of.