Kevin Durant reveals imitating Kobe Bryant & Tracy McGrady to develop his game: “Try to emulate everything I see”
Kevin Durant has long been considered to be one of the greatest scorers the game of basketball has ever seen. From his time in Oklahoma City to his two championships with the Warriors all the way through his time with the Nets, Durant's scoring abilities have only improved.
With an incredibly lanky frame that allows him clean looks over even the tallest of defenders and a lethal jump shot, it's no surprise defenders struggle guarding KD. Although many try to emulate his game, it's his combination of size and shooting ability that makes him stand out from the rest.
Interestingly enough, Durant recently revealed during an interview that his game is largely modeled from watching Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady. During a recent sit-down interview with the recently retired Jamal Crawford, Durant spoke about how he grew up watching Bryant and McGrady. For him, emulating the pair was something that seemed like a natural step.
"Kobe, Bron (James) and T-Mac around that time was the three guys that I looked at the most, but T-Mac was the guy that stood out, because I feel like we had a similar body type," Durant said. "We had the similar move with the hesi pullup. ... So, I tried to take it from him.
"So, I tried to watch his game as much as I could and check his movements and try to emulate everything I see."
The full sit-down conversation between Crawford and Durant will be released Wednesday evening on Center Court as the latest episode of "Crawford's Couch."
Above, you can view some footage of a rookie KD with the Seattle SuperSonics battling it out against Crawford and the New York Knicks.
Kevin Durant wasn't the only one blown away by Tracy McGrady
Kevin Durant, of course, wasn't the only one who was blown away by Tracy McGrady's game. During his career, Kobe Bryant, who Durant said he also looked up to, was impressed by McGrady. During their storied careers, they matched up 21 times. McGrady averaged 17.9 points against Bryant and earned his respect in the process.
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Although McGrady's career was largely marred by injury, Bryant once sang his praises in an interview:
"He could do everything I could, but he was 6-10. He had no weaknesses in his game. He could score from anywhere and defend. He's the hardest player I have ever had to guard."
Despite being a seven-time All-Star, McGrady never managed to capture an elusive NBA title. Even so, he remains an absolute icon in the basketball world. At a time when positions in the NBA were incredibly cut and dry, T-Mac was quite the versatile player.
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Although he played shooting guard and small forward, he was part of a new breed of larger guards who could shoot lights out. In addition, he also possessed an impressive touch around the rim and monstrous dunking abilities.
Below, you can view some of his top career plays to get a glimpse at why players like Kevin Durant wanted to emulate him.