Dime is the premier basketball magazine, covering the NBA, NCAA, High School, Playground and International basketball - as well as sneakers, fashion and music.
Issue link: http://dimemagazine.epubxp.com/i/130678
2 KEVIN DURANT even more impressive. No player has more points in the game's last fve minutes when ahead or behind by fve points (Kyrie Irving is second), and no one has more points per fourth quarter, period. Unlike a majority of this list, it's hard to turn away from him when he's on defense, too. Coach Scott Brooks allows Durant to guard four positions and KD has embraced the challenge. Getting beat isn't a death knell because of his wingspan and his ability to swat from behind. You could turn away from KD. But why would you? Don't believe the "KD is not nice" tagline Nike is pushing on us: KD is nice to watch go to work. Durant may have the most limitless range in the entire Association, a perk of being 6-10 with moves that seem more limitless than teammate Russell Westbrook's wardrobe combinations. That we all know this and have marveled at his offensive highlights since he was 18 makes his young mastery 1 KYRIE IRVING NIKE (DURANT); SKULLCANDY (IRVING) Irving isn't simply the best among his second-year peers. He's the most exciting player in the NBA, period. This development wasn't even on our radar before the season began, but we're not all that surprised it's happened, either. The potential was there even if he was never expected to mature this quickly — only LeBron James and Kevin Durant have ever averaged Irving's 24.0 points per game at age 20 in NBA history. Irving's mix of foot speed is matched by hand skills that would make a pickpocket envious. The whole package is wrapped in a scary confdence that often leads to highlights rather than mistakes born from hubris. For players who are this young, it's usually the opposite way around, but this former No. 1 pick has made game-winning plays his specialty. His game-winning three against Toronto in late January was topped just a week later by his 13-point run in the fnal four minutes to stun Oklahoma City at home. Sometimes it looks like he's bringing the plotline of his Uncle Drew ads — young player dressed in old makeup makes playground opponents look foolish — to life in the NBA. 63