People have made out that the Warriors have the three best shooters in the league, but the underlying story that few know, is how Durant is being held accountable for the first time in his career by a teammate or coach.

Durant is a once-in-a-generation talent, who has a skill set that every team can utilize. He can post up and use his frame to shoot over smaller defenders, put the ball on the floor to get to the rim, and stretch the defense with his ability to shoot the 3-ball. There is no denying his talent.

But Durant’s unselfishness often has him passing up shots and playing second fiddle to other players. Durant’s experience with his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, had him running an isolation offense where he and Russel Westbrook would take turns. More often than not, Westbrook would choose not to pass up his shot and Durant would be left on the wing, playing spectator.

For a team as stacked as the Warriors, it would be easy for Durant to fade into the background and choose to play a complimentary role like he had playing with Westbrook. But not with Draymond Green.

Green is the teammate Durant never had. A teammate that won’t bite his tongue and will challenge players when he does not see maximum effort or see’s Durant fading into the background.

This season, the media has released clips of Green challenging Durant during key moments of games and playing in the flow of the offense.

While Durant is averaging the least amount of minutes in his career, he is only getting three fewer shots than he had with the Thunder. Durant averages 25 points and 4 assists a game.

His game has flourished this season and Durant is on the defensive end where Green directs the team. Durant is having his best year on defense, being a presence in the paint blocking shots and overall effort on the floor.

Durant has never been pushed to play as aggressively as Green has. With the Thunder, Durant was a superstar who could call his own number but was often relegated to watching the Westbrook show. With Green as a teammate, Durant is hounded to stay aggressive on offense and not pass up shots while also maintaining a presence on the defensive end.