Fantasy basketball owners that went with Kevin Durant in the first round of drafts this year are likely to reap a lot of benefits in the coming weeks. Durant seems ready to really put his foot on the gas to go after his third straight scoring title in the NBA. It seems like Durant has an extra gear that he hasn't called upon this year, but maybe it is because of how many easy wins Oklahoma City has had so far.
Coming into Saturday night (Feb. 4), Durant is averaging 27 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He is also getting 1.2 steals and a career-high 1.4 blocks a night that show an improvement on defense. Durant's free throw shooting is down a bit (to 81.4 percent), but he has improved from the field to a remarkable 51.1 percent.
Friday night's game against the Memphis Grizzlies looks like a sign of things to come for the All-Star small forward. He went 14-for-24 from the field and 7-for-8 from the free throw line to finish with 36 points. He also added 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks to really showcase what he could do. This followed a game against the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 1 when Durant had 23 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.
I am going to predict that Durant will win February Player of the Month honors in the Western Conference and that he will get right back in the race for NBA MVP this season. His numbers are only going to get better for fantasy basketball owners, especially as Oklahoma City really hits a part of the schedule against fellow Western Conference opponents where the team needs to win.
Look for Durant to put up great numbers against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday (Feb. 4) and for his season averages to continue climbing until he plays in the 2012 NBA All-Star Game down in Orlando.
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*Ryan Christopher DeVault has been participating in fantasy basketball leagues since high school and has always found a lot of success in both public and private leagues. He is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network that has tips, advice and news to provide on the game.
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