Kevin Durant‘s combination of fluid athleticism, sharpshooting, and multi-dimensional scoring ability has made him a generational talent that basketball enthusiasts love replicating in video games. With the hype surrounding NBA 2K23 and its improved player builder, fans are eager to construct the ultimate Kevin Durant build that captures his elite offensive skills. In this comprehensive guide, we will breakdown every aspect of creating KD‘s archetype – from vital measurements to attribute ratings, takeovers and badges. Follow along to build an unstoppable virtual Durant.
Biography of an All-Time Great
Even casual NBA fans know Kevin Durant is a certified bucket. But looking back on his accomplishments and rise to superstardom provides helpful context.
[Image: Young Kevin Durant at University of Texas]
After a standout freshman season playing for the University of Texas, the Seattle Supersonics selected Durant 2nd overall in the 2007 NBA draft. His rookie season showed flashes of scoring brilliance, nabbing Rookie of the Year honors.
Over the next few seasons, Durant developed into the league‘s most lethal shooter and dynamic offensive threat. He captured his first of four NBA scoring titles in 2009-10, averaging over 30 points per game at just 21 years old.
Despite team success being scarce in Seattle/OKC, Durant‘s individual brilliance persisted, claiming MVP in 2013-14 by dropping insane stats:
- 32 points
- 7.4 rebounds
- 5.5 assists
After a blockbuster move to join the Golden State Warriors, KD finally captured back-to-back NBA titles and Finals MVPs in 2017 and 2018. When healthy, he‘s remained arguably the toughest cover in basketball thanks to his size, shooting range, handles, footwork and finishing craft.
Now on the Nets, the 33-year-old vet maintains elite production: nearly 30 points and 7 assists per game last season on super-efficient 51/38/91% shooting splits. His enduring offensive impact serves as an ideal mold for our NBA 2K player build.
NBA 2K Player Builds – A Crash Course
Before modeling KD himself, it helps to breakdown exactly how player "builds" function when creating your MyPlayer in NBA 2K game modes.
Builds revolve around first establishing your player‘s basic physical profile including:
- Position
- Height/Weight
- Wingspan
These attributes influence available ratings caps across core categories:
- Finishing (dunking, close shots)
- Shooting (jumpers, free throws)
- Playmaking (passing, handles)
- Defense/Rebounding
You spread points until reaching the caps for your desired ratings in each category. Common build archetypes include:
- Scoring machines – Maxed shooting with solid finishing
- Lockdown defenders – Dominant rebounding and defensive skills
- Playmakers – Elite passing and ball-handling
- Paint beasts – Unstoppable strength and inside scoring
Next comes selecting takeovers which give situational boosts like enhancing shooting, dribbling, defense or dunking prowess.
Finally, badges allow you to specialize your player. Upgrading badges under categories like finishing or shooting unlocks new animations and boosts those skills.
Combine ratings, takeovers and badges properly, and you can craft your ideal player DNA – whether modeling a real NBA star or creating a unique build. Now let‘s utilize that knowledge to break down Durant himself…
Vitals – Creating KD‘s Blueprint
The foundation for any replicated player is capturing their physical measurables as accurately as possible. For Durant:
- Position: Small Forward
- Handedness: Right
- Height: 6‘10"
- Weight: 240 lbs
- Wingspan: 7‘4"
- Jersey Number: 35
Durant‘s measurements are key for his talent. At 6‘10" with a 7‘4" wingspan, he towers over most small forwards but retains guard-like agility. His high release point makes his shot nearly unguardable.
When tuning body shape, utilize "defined" for lean muscle mass. This provides necessary strength while maintaining fluid mobility that suits KD‘s graceful athleticism.
Now let‘s allocate his attribute points…
Badge Attribute Distribution – Modeling Durant‘s Scoring Dominance
Choosing the correct ratings categories and caps is vital for any player build. For Durant, we want to maximize his elite shooting and finishing ability:
- Finishing
- Close Shot: 75
- Driving Layup: 88
- Driving Dunk: 75
- Standing Dunk: 45
- Post Control: 40
- Shooting
- Mid-Range Shot: 88
- Three-Point Shot: 88
- Free Throw: 88
- Playmaking
- Pass Accuracy: 75
- Ball Handle: 80
- Speed with Ball: 70
- Defense/Rebounding
- Interior Defense: 55
- Perimeter Defense: 75
- Steal: 75
- Block: 60
- Offensive Rebound: 60
- Defensive Rebound: 60
- Physicals
- Speed: 75
- Acceleration: 70
- Strength: 60
- Vertical: 75
- Stamina: 90
With this blueprint, your Durant build will be an absolute sniper from anywhere on the court. The maxed out shooting ratings boost everything from off-dribble jumpers to catch-and-shoot chances. High layup and dunk ratings allow punishing defenders who overplay the perimeter.
You sacrifice some interior scoring, strength and playmaking to fully optimize shooting. But the trade-off grants an unstoppable offensive arsenal reminiscent of KD‘s multi-dimensional scoring prowess.
Takeover & Badges – Adding the Finishing Touches
Takeovers provide momentary boosts that can swing games when activated. The ideal combo for Durant is Sharpshooter as the primary takeover and Shot Creating as secondary.
This enhances Durant‘s versatile shot-making ability. Trigger sharptshooter takeover and you‘ll be pulling up from anywhere to bury contested triples. The shot creating boost makes his dribble moves more explosive.
Finally, to heighten key skills, these signature Durant badges are a must:
- Shooting
- Deadeye (Gold)
- Blinders (Gold)
- Difficult Shots (HOF)
- Limitless Range (Gold)
- Catch and Shoot (Gold)
- Finishing
- Acrobat (Silver)
- Giant Slayer (Silver)
- Playmaking
- Handles for Days (Gold)
- Quick First Step (Silver)
Upgrading these shooting and dribbling badges will have you scoring from all over like peak KD. Pull up over smaller defenders, drill contested jumpers and break ankles off the bounce.
By maximizing his vital attributes and key badges, you now have the blueprint for dominating offenses with a lethal Durant facsimile. But how do you utilize this build most effectively?
Unleash Your Inner Durant – Playstyle Tips
Follow these playstyle tactics to fully unlock your Durant build‘s destructive scoring potential:
- Use screens and size mismatches to launch jumpers over smaller defenders
- Pull up smoothly for midrange after breaking defenders down off the dribble
- Spot up fluidly off-ball to attack closeouts with catch-and-shoot 3‘s
- Run the wings and baseline to get daylight for jumpers
- Break ankles with snatch-back combos into pull-up triples
- Capitalize on sharpshooter takeover to hit contested step-back 3‘s
- Finish through contact on drives using Acrobat
- Use your length on defense to disrupt passing lanes
Of course, even the optimal build has limitations to be aware of:
- Lacks interior scoring presence against bigs
- Can struggle defending stronger interior players
- Weaker playmaking ability relative to elite passers
- Must monitor stamina closely when carrying offenses
But overall, this tailored Durant build provides everything needed to dominate games with his signature scoring brilliance. Now just take to the virtual court and start cooking helpless defenders as you channel your inner KD.
Alternative Versions
While this guide focused on a scoring-focused Durant, other options exist too. Some examples:
- 2-Way Durant – Sacrifice some shooting for big boosts in defense, blocks and boards
- Playmaker Durant – Lower shooting in favor of maxed out playmaking and speed
- Demigod Durant – Minimal weaknesses or limitations across all attributes
Mix and match to find your ideal KD mold. At his core, elite shooting and fluid athleticism are a must for any KB facsimile. How you build around those traits comes down to your style and priorities.
Conclusion
Recreating Kevin Durant‘s transcendent scoring ability in NBA 2K requires carefully balancing attributes, physicals and badges tailored to his skillset. With the blueprint provided above, you now have the tools to unleash a lethal Durant clone on virtual hardwood. Whether you‘re looking to dominate MyCareer, take over The City or simulate realistic Nets matchups, this build encapsulates the essence of KD‘s greatness. So step onto the court and experience playing as one of the most unstoppable offensive forces in basketball history. Just be ready to start filling up that scoring column.
