Kevin Durant's Perfect Record Against NBA Rivals: 344 Players Never Won A Game Against The Slim Reaper
Kevin Durant never lost a game against 344 NBA players.
Credit: Fadeaway World
Over the last 16 seasons, Kevin Durant has had a career worthy of Top 20 recognition. Durant is a 4-time scoring champion, MVP, 2-time NBA champion, and 2-time Finals MVP. He is regarded as one of the best scorers to ever play in the NBA with his demi-god-like skillset and 7’0’’ build. Along with his scoring, Durant has always been underrated as a passer, playmaker, and defender. Although the moves he has made have been questioned, his abilities and production are things that can not be overlooked as we define the career of Kevin Durant.
Just as we have done with legends such as Michael Jordan and LeBron James, we will take a look at Kevin Durant’s career through a different lens. We know that Durant’s Thunder and Warriors teams had a run like very few teams have throughout NBA history with Durant at the center of it all. Although it can be a flawed way to view things, today is about Durant’s greatest undefeated individual records against his NBA contemporaries. The names amongst the ones Durant has never lost to may intrigue you.
In the end, we will also take a look at other NBA legends and their records against Kevin Durant. These records will not be undefeated ones but give great insight into some of the best rivalries during the 2000s and 2010s. With these records, we will introduce the context around them and apply how they hold weight to any sort of argument. As we have seen, many of these records can come against guys who do not see much action on the court. That will also be revealed and left up to the reader how much that record really means.
Once again, an individual’s record against singular opponents can be an awkward way to view that player. However, it is interesting to see how many circumstances or mental warfare may go into such undefeated records. With Kevin Durant’s 344 perfect records against individual opponents, the names you recognize make it a great conversation to have and one that will certainly cause some debate over a holiday meal.
These are Kevin Durant’s best undefeated individual records against NBA rivals.
*Condition: Players must have played at least 8 games vs. Kevin Durant to qualify for this list*
Kevin Durant’s Best Record vs. Individual Opponents
10-0 vs. Brian Roberts
9-0 vs. Joffrey Lauvergne
9-0 vs. Jarred Jeffries
9-0 vs. Lance Thomas
9-0 vs. Damien Wilkins
9-0 vs. Elfrid Payton
8-0 vs. Aaron Gordon
8-0 vs. Tim Frazier
8-0 vs. T.J. Warren
8-0 vs. Terrence Williams
Kevin Durant’s best undefeated individual record against a single opponent is 10-0 vs. Brian Roberts, a 5-year veteran of the NBA. Roberts played from 2013 through 2017 with the Hornets, Pelicans, and Trail Blazers. Roberts played 314 games in the NBA and made 59 starts. His best career season came in 2014 with the Pelicans when he averaged 9.4 PPG and 3.3 APG in 72 games. In the 10 games against Roberts, Durant faced off mostly against New Orleans between 2012 and 2014. Durant averaged 24.9 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 5.2 APG, and 1.1 BPG across all 10 games against Roberts.
Durant is also 9-0 against 5 different opponents during his NBA career, the first of which is Joffrey Lauvergne. He only lasted from 2015 through 2018 in the NBA out of France and played for the Nuggets, Spurs, Thunder, and Bulls. Lauvergneaveraged 7.9 PPG and 4.9 RPG in 59 games for the Nuggets in 2016. In the 9 games against Lauvergne Durant made all 10 starts while Lauvergne made just 2. Durant averaged 28.4 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 5.1 APG during his time with the Thunder and Warriors.
The next player that Kevin Durant is 9-0 against in his NBA career is Jared Jeffries. He spent 11 seasons in the NBA, most notably with the New York Knicks which is when he saw Durant most of the time with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jeffries only made 2 starts against Durant and averaged 3.4 PPG. Durant was dominant in these 9 games, averaging 27.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 3.4 APG. Jeffries’ best game against Durant came in 2010 with the Knicks when he scored 8 points in 28 minutes on the floor.
Another opponent that Durant is 9-0 against in his career is Lance Thomas. As a forward who played for 9 seasons in the NBA, Thomas never really got a chance to showcase his talents. He had back-to-back seasons of 8.0 PPG or better with the Knicks. In 9 games against Durant, Thomas made 2 starts and averaged 6.8 PPG. In those 9 games, 4 came when Durant was in Golden State and 5 came with the Thunder. He averaged 25.8 PPG, 9.6 RPG, and 6.4 APG in those 9 games.
Elfrid Payton is another NBA star that Durant has beaten all 9 times their teams have met. ^ of these games came when Payton was with the Orlando Magic and Durant was with the Warriors. Payton was active as recently as 2021-22 with the Suns. Payton is a double-digit scorer for his career and a pretty decent assist man. Each of these players started all 9 games against each other with Payton averaging 13.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 7.1 APG in their matchups. Durant compiled his undefeated record by averaging 26.1 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.9 BPG. Payton has yet to sign for the 2022-23 season amid injury concerns.
The final player that Durant was undefeated against with a record of 9-0 in his career was Damien Wilkins. He is a combo guard-forward who played 9 seasons with the SuperSonics/Thunder, Timberwolves, Hawks, Pistons, and Sixers. He was an 8.0 PPG scorer or better in 2007 and 2008 before bouncing around his last 4 years in the NBA. Wilkins made just 1 start against Durant and averaged 6.1 PPG. As for Durant, maybe he liked seeing his former teammate come into town as he averaged 30.3 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.7 SPG, and 1.1 BPG.
Kevin Durant’s Record Against Other NBA Stars
Now that we have discussed the best-looking records in Durant’s career, it is time to take a glance at how he looks against some other NBA stars. One of the most fun rivalries of the past few seasons has been the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics. Durant has squared off against Jayson Tatum 17 times in his career and has amassed an 8-9 record against the star. This includes a Boston Celtics 4-game sweep of the Nets in the 2022 NBA playoffs.
Another interesting record in Durant’s career has been his matchups with Grizzlies star Ja Morant. The two have only faced off twice with Morant coming up with a victory in both instances. Durant has also gone against Chris Paul’s teams 48 times in his career and is 4 games under .500 at 22-26. One final interesting record is one against Tims Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs. Durant played Duncan’s Spurs 44 times in his career and stands at an even 22-22 in those games.
Credit the source: Basketball Reference
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