(Reuters) - Kevin Durant has managed to dodge the growing pains often required for success in the NBA and now the Oklahoma City Thunder forward is among a handful of players headlining a generational shift in talent in the game.
There was plenty of talk about a changing of the guard when the playoffs started in April, and with four teams left it appears 22-year-old Durant has a legitimate shot to fast-track his way to a title in only his fourth season.
"Durant is a special player, one of the best players in the NBA," Memphis forward Zach Randolph said after Durant scored 39 points in a win over the Grizzlies that advanced the Thunder to the Western Conference finals.
"The kid is a gym rat, he works hard. He's one of my favorite players. You've got to give him kudos and give him respect."
The Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs have combined to win the last four NBA championships, but each suffered unceremonious exits from the playoffs, opening the door for a new face of the NBA to grab the spotlight.
Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, Kevin Garnett of the Celtics and Tim Duncan of the Spurs all looked old and overmatched in their respective playoff series losses, prompting questions about where the franchises are headed from here.
Durant, widely considered the least pretentious big-name player in the game today, has won two scoring championships in his four seasons in the league and has shown an ability to step up his game at just the right time.
He will have to do just that in the Western Conference finals where his Thunder are tied 1-1 in their best-of-seven series against the Dallas Mavericks and head home for the next two games where Oklahoma City has gone 6-1 in the playoffs.
CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN
A series victory over the Mavericks would set up a showdown against either the Chicago Bulls, who boast 22-year-old league most valuable player Derrick Rose, or the Miami Heat, who have enjoyed a boost this year from 26-year-old LeBron James, the MVP of the prior two seasons.
Regardless of this year's NBA champion, the trio of Durant, Rose and James have already sent a message to the league that they possess the tools needed to challenge for NBA titles just as frequently as the Lakers and Celtics have in recent years.
Durant left the University of Texas after his freshman year for the NBA and was taken with the second overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, where he played for one season before the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City.
He averaged 20.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in a rookie season where he had to endure a 20-62 record with a Seattle team that finished with the second worst record in the NBA.
Durant has led his team in scoring in each season, was named MVP in leading Team USA to the FIBA World Championship last year and now is credited with taking the NBA's youngest playoff team to the conference semi-finals.
He is an emerging league MVP with a work effort that rivals any of the other top players in the league. After being held to just 11 points in Game Six versus Memphis, he returned with the best performance of his career.
"That wasn't me at all in Game Six. I was so upset with myself that I kind of let my guys down by not playing my game," Durant said after clinching the West semi-final series.
"No matter what, if I was shooting bad in Game Six, as long as I was aggressive. I wasn't aggressive at all. This game, that's what I told myself: 'Come in aggressive, start the game off aggressive.'"
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