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Trimester awards in a 5-on-5 where four people picked KD for early MVP, including Ethan Sherwood Strauss: “KD was recently marked by Andrei Kirilenko, the ideal guy for defending Durant. The result? Durant had 33 points on 21 shots. I marvel at the 50-40-90 shooting production, but I’m also amazed by how it’s maintained on a hefty 17.3 shots per game. When you factor in KD’s improved passing, it’s clear that he’s leading the pack through this third of a season.”

Neil Paine of ESPN.com: “According to Synergy Sports, Oklahoma City’s spot-up shooting has been particularly sharp in the early going. The play has easily yielded the most total points for the Thunder, and they rank second only to the Knicks in per-play efficiency on spot-up chances, led by Durant (who is fourth among all players in points per play on spot-ups) and Martin (who ranks 10th). In fact, you can trace OKC’s meteoric offensive rise over the past four seasons by tracking the development of their spot-up efficiency, which rose from 19th in the NBA in 2009-10 to 15th in 2010-11, sixth a season ago, and now second.” Keep Reading…

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Ethan Sherwood Strauss of Bleacher Report on KD’s MVP candidacy: “It doesn’t just stop there. Durant rebounds 12.7 percent of his team’s shots to Carmelo Anthony’s 10.2 percent. Durant gets 4.2 assists to Anthony’s 1.9 per contest. If we’re citing wins, the Thunder have the best record in the league, and they’re doing it in the tougher Western Conference. If we’re citing surrounding talent, the Thunder just traded a Team USA member and did not miss a beat. Again, Anthony has been fantastic. It’s just that Durant has been even better than fantastic. It’s not a slight to Melo, but it’s hard to find something he’s good in that Kevin Durant isn’t even better at. It’s a long season and that could change. But for now, Durant’s MVP credentials are pretty unassailable in comparison to Anthony’s.” Keep Reading…