Monday Bolts – 12.28.15

Nice look from Anthony Slater on Kevin Durant’s body: “At his heaviest, Durant was near 260

pounds this summer, not outrageous for his 6-foot-11 frame. But not comfortable. So he cut carbs from his diet and his foot eventually healed, allowing a return to daily cardio. The offseason fluff is nearly erased. But some added bulk remains. Durant currently hovers around 242 pounds, the heaviest playing weight of his career. And it’s showing. On offense, Durant is shedding contact easier. On defense, he’s holding his ground sturdier. It’s been quite the transformation from June 2007.”

NBA.com has OKC third in power rankings: “The Thunder went through a rough stretch from 3-point range (29 percent over seven games), but still had a top-five offense over that timeframe and then shot 8-for-15 from beyond the arc in Sunday’s win over Denver. After the Christmas loss to Chicago, they’re 6-8 against the East. Russell Westbrook’s usage rate has been higher, but his assist rate and true shooting percentage have been lower against East opponents.”

My ESPN.com thing from last night.

Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider looking at rookie potential: “I’m going to go with one of the players you mentioned, Hollis-Jefferson. At this stage in their careers, Hollis-Jefferson and Winslow have fairly similar skill sets. You can certainly favor Winslow based on his age and ability to play power forward, but I prefer Hollis-Jefferson at this point because he has been a better rebounder and is racking up more blocks and steals. Hollis-Jefferson is rebounding like a power forward and his steal rate this season is the same as Kawhi Leonard’s. I’ll take that.”

I don’t really understand this, but Steve Novak got the TMZ treatment, talking about toilets.

Read Kevin Arnovitz on LeBron. Do it.

Erik Horne on last night: “The huge plays continued as the lead grew to double digits in less than six minutes. Durant found Serge Ibaka in transition for a running dunk. Waiters came up with a steal at midcourt and finished a dunk in between two defenders, staring up into the stands while ignoring his hurting forearm. Westbrook capped the flurry with the Thunder’s final points – a drive and takeoff from midway into the lane. After finishing his dunk, Westbrook and Waiters each raised the roof toward the crowd. The energy missing from the loss to Chicago – missing for the first three quarters against Denver – was back. Will it return Tuesday against Milwaukee?”

Found this interesting from Kobe: “It was in a meeting at Southwest College [in Los Angeles], and we were having a team meeting and Rick Fox said, ‘Kobe, we just want to feel like you need us,'” Bryant said. I was like, ‘What the hell is this grown-ass man [saying]? What are you talking [about]?’ But then, it kind of caught me, because it was a very vulnerable thing for him to say, and it helped me have perspective on what he may be going through and what he’s feeling. And then, from that standpoint, it really changed my mentality and how I kind of looked at it, and I’ve been working on it ever since.”

If you have electricity, congratulations and I hate you.