The Rockets host the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, then the Miami Heat on Saturday. Houston then travels to Chicago for a game Monday against the Bulls. The 16-time All-Star and 2014 NBA MVP accomplishing a milestone so revered at the United Center \u2014 \u201cThe House That Jordan Built\u201d \u2014 would make for a new core memory.<\/p>\n
\u201cJordan has always been my inspiration. There\u2019s a reason why I wanted to be able to knock down those shots,\u201d Durant said in a one-on-one interview with The Athletic. \u201cHe was always unstoppable, but when he became a midrange maestro, you never knew how he would attack you. You never knew what MJ was going to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe scared defenders every night, and I wanted to put that same kind of fear in the defender who\u2019s guarding me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier this season, Durant passed Wilt Chamberlain (31,419 points) and Dirk Nowitzki (31,560) on the NBA scoring list. While those moments were special, passing Jordan brings a different level of reverence, given how firmly he\u2019s been etched into basketball lore as perhaps the most unstoppable scorer the game has seen.<\/p>\n
Jordan\u2019s combination of explosive athleticism, refined skill and ferocious competitiveness is what separates him, in many people\u2019s eyes, as the greatest to ever play the game. In Durant, the game had never seen a 6-foot-11 player blend those similar guard-like perimeter skills, a killer instinct in the clutch and elite shot making from every level of the floor.<\/p>\n
If there were ever a prototype for a player with the complete offensive package, Durant, to many, is it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere aren\u2019t any real weaknesses in his game,\u201d Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams said.<\/p>\n
And soon, Durant will be able to say he ranks above the player he feels did it best.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/USATSI_25483249-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n As Kevin Durant inches closer to the top five in all-time NBA scoring, there\u2019s a chance he could pass Michael Jordan in Chicago. (David Banks \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n
As talk around Durant\u2019s next major milestone started to heat up, one question needed an answer.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t about him passing Jordan or his legacy as one of the top bucket-getters the league has seen. He was asked to make a simple choice: hesi pull-up or one-dribble pull-up?<\/p>\n
\u201cMan, that\u2019s a tough one,\u201d Durant said, then paused.<\/p>\n
As Durant continues his ascension up the league\u2019s scoring list, it was only natural to consider the signature shots that defined the legends he now stands beside. Dirk had his one-legged fadeaway. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had his patented sky hook. Kobe Bryant \u2014 fourth on the all-time scoring list with 33,643 points \u2014 and Jordan had their iconic fadeaway jumpers.<\/p>\n
What separates Durant, though, is that his brilliance as a scorer can\u2019t be captured by a single move. Those indelible images could be pull-up jumpers after freezing defenders with his hesitation move, or they could come off one-dribble drives as he carves into open spaces below the 3-point line.<\/p>\n
The entire offensive menu is available when Durant is on the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s willing to shoot from pretty much anywhere,\u201d Portland Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday said of Durant, \u201cand he can hit all of those shots at a high rate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moving past Jordan will further cement Durant\u2019s place as one of the most gifted scorers the game has seen. He\u2019s shown himself to be one of the more efficient shooters in the history of the game, whether he\u2019s in the midrange, at the free-throw line or beyond the 3-point line. His release on his jumper is so high that it\u2019s almost impossible to contest.<\/p>\n
Parts of Durant\u2019s legacy will be complicated to some because he\u2019s played with five different teams, and his two championship rings \u2014 and two NBA Finals MVPs \u2014 came as a member of Golden State Warriors teams that started four likely Hall of Famers.<\/p>\n
Still, it\u2019s obvious how much respect Durant\u2019s peers have for him as an all-time great and an example of the hard work that\u2019s required to reach the incredible heights he\u2019s eclipsed. For many, he represents what the ideal \u201cpure scorer\u201d looks like. He doesn\u2019t look for ways to manipulate officials. He doesn\u2019t rely solely on his size or athleticism to create shots at the rim. He doesn\u2019t jack up a bunch of 3-pointers.<\/p>\n
Since entering the league in 2007, Durant\u2019s jumper has been considered a thing of beauty, a weapon that\u2019s helped him defeat all of the complex defensive schemes teams try to throw at him. There\u2019s no better way to simplify the game than creating space and shooting over the person in front of you, and Durant has been one of the best at doing it. Some of the most difficult shots in the game \u2014 shots that others are taught to avoid \u2014 are those he can make in his sleep.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the midrange is one of those things where they never know when it\u2019s coming,\u201d Durant said. \u201cEven though I\u2019m a midrange shooter, it still feels like they don\u2019t know when I\u2019m going to pull up. The unpredictable nature of the shot drew me to it, and I wanted to make it a primary part of my game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Per Stathead, Durant is among the 214 players to attempt at least 5,000 jump shots during the NBA\u2019s play-by-play era, which began in 1996-97. Durant ranks No. 4 among that group, shooting 44.6 percent on his jumpers. During that same span, Durant has made 1,244 jumpers in the playoffs, which trails only Bryant (1,365) and LeBron James (1,332). It should also be noted that James has played in 292 playoff games in his career, while Bryant appeared in 220 playoff games. Durant has only 170 playoff appearances.<\/p>\n
When Durant gets to his spot and rises for a jumper, there\u2019s no more helpless feeling for defenders. In most cases, the best they can do is contest and hope for the best.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can play the best defense possible against him, feel like you did everything right, then he just rises up and swishes it,\u201d Miami Heat forward Norman Powell said. \u201cAll you can do is shake your head.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2254843772-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Nearly two decades into his pro career, Kevin Durant remains one of the NBA\u2019s most feared scorers. (Alex Slitz \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Durant credits the long hours he\u2019s spent in the gym and the attention to detail put into his craft for the confidence he\u2019s developed in the most crucial part of his game.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a tedious process to master your touch. I\u2019m not saying I\u2019ve mastered shooting in general, but (the shots) that work for me, I feel like I\u2019ve mastered,\u201d Durant said. \u201cI learned how to be more patient, to be more decisive with my movements and with my decisions. Just having confidence that, if I don\u2019t have anything, I can rise up and shoot the middy. I can shoot over my guy. I can shoot over two or three guys. When you\u2019re confident in getting to those shots, you can try different things.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the greatest joys Durant quietly experiences during a game is seeing the look of dejection on a defender\u2019s face who has tried everything possible to stop him from scoring. He calls it a \u201cdemoralizing feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI love it,\u201d Durant said. \u201cIt just takes the soul out of people sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been that way since 2007.<\/p>\n
So \u2026 hesi pull-up or one-dribble pull-up?<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going with the hesi pull,\u201d Durant said.<\/p>\n
His answer shouldn\u2019t have been a surprise, considering the two most iconic shots of his career featured this exact move.<\/p>\n
The first came in Game 3 of the 2017 NBA Finals when he drained a long 3-pointer over James<\/a>\u00a0that all but sealed Durant\u2019s first NBA championship with the Warriors. A year later, he hit the same shot from nearly the same spot<\/a> in Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Finals, putting the Warriors in prime position to win back-to-back titles.<\/p>\n As he further discussed his answer, Durant started mimicking his movements on the floor and explaining how he could create space with his hesitation, how he could use it to freeze defenders. In demonstrating his stepback, he moved so far away that he could barely be heard. He then explained that he first learned the move in 2004 from Keith Williams, a well-known trainer in Washington D.C., who has worked with prominent names like DeMarcus Cousins, Gilbert Arenas and Steve Francis.<\/p>\n \u201cIt became my favorite shot,\u201d Durant said.<\/p>\n As Durant talked, another piece of his legacy stood out: a maniacal love for the game and the minute details required to master his craft. As much as Durant\u2019s physical gifts jump off the page, his peers tend to highlight his reputation as a relentless worker and his obsessive attention to the fundamentals.<\/p>\n And, as much as his star has grown, he still jumps at the opportunity to share his knowledge and passion for the game.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve spent a lot of time around KD, and guys tend to gravitate to him because of the way he works and his love for the game,\u201d Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. \u201cGuys respect him because he\u2019s always willing to share knowledge, and he\u2019s always looking for ways to get better. He\u2019s never satisfied.\u201d<\/p>\n Knowing this, it should be no surprise that he\u2019s still playing as well as ever during his 18th NBA season. (Durant\u2019s been in the league 19 years but missed the 2019-20 season after suffering a ruptured Achilles<\/a>.) While currently leading a Rockets team with aspirations to make a deep playoff run, Durant is averaging 25.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists while putting up staggering 51.6\/40.2\/88.5 shooting splits. He\u2019s on pace to join James, the league\u2019s all-time scoring leader, as the only players in NBA history to average 25-plus points while shooting at least 50 percent from the floor after turning 37 years old.<\/p>\n \n Kevin Durant this season can join LeBron James as the only players in NBA history to average 25-plus points while shooting at least 50 percent from the floor after turning 37 years old. (Alex Slitz \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2266986680-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n