Kevin Durant settling in with Golden State Warriors' team-first approach

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Just three months into the Golden State Warriors chapter of his NBA career, Kevin Durant already knows exactly where he stands with his new teammates.

Surprisingly, it took getting knocked down to find his footing.

Durant, the signature signing of a free-spending NBA offseason, thought he was doing what a $27 million-a-season import was supposed to do when he called for the ball from two-time reigning Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry and pulled up for a potential game-clinching 3-pointer in the final seconds of the Warriors' home game against Memphis on Jan. 6.

Well before the Grizzlies rallied for a 128-119 overtime win -- heck, almost the instant Durant's 24-footer clanked off the rim, setting up Memphis' game-tying hoop in regulation -- the former MVP in a previous NBA life learned a valuable lesson about the Warriors.

They win as a team, not as a collection of All-Stars.

After getting an earful from the club's emotional leader, Draymond Green, on the court, Durant had to endure more hurtful sound bites from the same guy who had helped spearhead his recruitment seven months earlier.

"I'm actually happy we lost today because there's some things that we need to correct in order to win a championship, and that's our goal," Green said after the game. "I want to see us get better each and every time we step on the floor, and I don't feel like that's been happening. So I'm kind of thrilled that we lost because you usually make corrections when you lose."

It was a direct hit on Durant that some feared would melt the glue that had yet to dry on the Warriors' new product, one constructed a bit hastily in the wake of a disastrous three-game, season-ending losing streak to Cleveland in the NBA Finals that denied Golden State a second consecutive championship.

But with the spotlight shining as brightly as ever on his every move, his every facial expression, Durant responded with a season-saving verbal swish of his own.

"He's an emotional guy," Durant said the next day about Green, immediately drawing the attention of every tape recorder, microphone and video recorder in the building.

"It wasn't an argument at all; it wasn't a disagreement," he continued. "I felt like Draymond was emotional and something was bothering him, and he came and talked to me. He always can talk to me. I didn't take it personally that he was using loud tones. That's just how he is.

"It wasn't a fight. It was more so he was voicing how he felt the game should've been going. And I agreed with him. I agreed with him, and I had his back."

Seventy-four seconds into their next game, Green looked for and found Durant for a layup. Hard feelings? Hardly.

Durant has never admitted the incident affected him, but the numbers seem to indicate otherwise.

Having ranked fifth in the league last season at 19.2 shots per game, Durant had 16 or fewer attempts in four of the five games that immediately followed the Memphis defeat.

He has since had 12- and 11-shot games, his third- and fourth-fewest of the season.

Meanwhile, Durant's scoring average increased from 24.5 in December to 27.4 in January, mostly the result of a far greater efficiency in his shooting (50 percent in December; 56.5 percent in January).

Instead of commanding the ball from the likes of Curry, Durant is now working hard away from the ball to warrant his point guard's attention.

"That's great basketball," Durant said of the ball-sharing Golden State offense. "It opens it up for everybody, especially in transition. The floor is wide open.

"Everybody touches the ball. On this team, a lot of people can get it going. When that happens, we keep looking for them, whoever it is."

Almost overnight, the handoff from Curry to Durant that sounded the Green alert against Memphis has gone much more often in the other direction. Durant took more shots than Curry just three times in January, after it occurred in seven of the 10 games immediately prior to the Memphis game.

Make no mistake: While Durant's name remains on the marquee, the Warriors have become Curry's team once again.

"Earlier in the season, Steph was really going out of his way trying to find KD and make him feel comfortable and get him shots," coach Steve Kerr said. "I think he was almost worried that if he shot too much, maybe it would take away from Kevin. That was part of the first half of the season for us -- as a staff, too ... understanding those dynamics.

"I think what Steph has realized is that he could just be himself and let it fly. He doesn't have to worry about Kevin or Klay (Thompson) or anybody else. Kevin is so unselfish ... he could be upset. Some guys in his position could be upset. He loves it when Steph is shooting and scoring. I think the overall dynamics, within the team, have been established."

Kevin Durant, team player. He wonders why people are surprised.

"I just want to win. That's all I've ever wanted," he responded recently when asked to explain an 11-shot night. "Numbers aren't important to me."

That said, Durant's numbers have contributed big-time to Golden State's best-in-basketball start. And not just his scoring numbers.

He ended the month of January as the Warriors' leader in scoring (26.3 points per game), rebounding (8.4) and blocked shots (1.71), and he was third in assists (4.7) and steals (1.13).

The scoring average was not a career best, but the rebounds and blocks were.

He had four assists in the turning-point game against Memphis. He responded with seven games of six or more in his next 12 outings.

"It's pretty fun making assists," Durant said after an eight-assist night. "The way this team moves and the offense is set, everybody can get assists. It's all about finding a way to make the right play. I feel I've grown as a passer."

And in large part because of it, the Warriors have grown as a team. They lost just once in 11 January games that followed Memphis, with the wins including a 35-pointer against Cleveland, a 17-pointer against the Houston Rockets and a 46-pointer against the Los Angeles Clippers.

A super-team was born.

"You have to go through this stuff to figure out who you are as a team," Kerr said. "Kevin loves it here and loves playing the way we do. There are going to be games where Kevin gets 25 shots, and then games where he gets 11. The beautiful thing about Kevin is that he genuinely does not care. He just wants to be part of something great.

"I've been watching him for eight or nine years now. I kinda knew everything we were getting. On top of everything we've gotten on the floor, he's been a tremendous teammate. I heard a lot about him, but as a coach, you never know what a guy's going to be like until he's in your locker room.

"He understands now that he doesn't need to do anything but be himself."

Credit Green for an assist on that.