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Season in Review: #35 Kevin Durant

As one of the two leaders of this Thunder squad along with Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant demonstrated all season not only why he is the best player in the entire NBA, but also the consummate teammate.

From his passionate Most Valuable Player acceptance speech where he singled out each teammate and staff member who helped him along this journey to his incredible run of 41 straight games scoring 25-or-more points, Durant was sensational in every way throughout the year on and off the court. He exuded confidence and intensity along with patience and aggressiveness while staying true to his team.

That leadership helped the entire team succeed in 2013-14, and despite the disappointment of the season coming to an end, Durant feels proud of the strides the team has made and is excited for its future.

“Everybody grew individually and of course got more experience,” Durant said. “We learned a lot. We went through a lot of adversity throughout the season. We learned how to persevere through it. We’ve grown a lot and I think our future is bright.”

“I like our core group of guys that we have,” Durant said. “I like what we have. We have guys who want to be here and play with each other and want to win with each other.”

For the season, Durant averaged a career-best 32.0 points and 5.5 assists to go with 7.4 rebounds, while shooting above 50 percent from the field. His ability to impact the game on all levels and defend all five positions on the floor has been an incredible asset for Head Coach Scott Brooks as he sets lineups and rotations.

Durant has the MVP award under his belt, but that won’t stop what seems to be his habit of spending all summer continuing to mold his game. Each year, Durant seemingly finds ways to add wrinkles to his offensive arsenal or devote attention to a particular aspect of his overall game like defense or rebounding. Heading into the summer, Durant will attack his workouts with the same intensity and passion that he has during every single offseason throughout his career.

“I’m sure there’s some different type of move or shot I’ll try to master, but overall I’ll just try to get better and work on every single part of my game and bring it back to the team. I’ve grown as a leader as the season went along and I can be better next season.”