Of course, it might also have been because he'd developed the habit early in his career, when he'd been chucking up shots on the Thunder.
In short, KD could easily drift outside the team's system on the court.
Some Thunder and Warriors fans surely remembered certain moments all too well.
It was as if the team's offense would grind to a halt as soon as the ball reached Durant.
That was because KD was used to relying on his overwhelming ability to create shots on his own.
So sometimes, when he forgot to follow the set plays, he'd simply take the ball and force a shot.
Still, he had every right to do that, and the ability to back it up.
And it had produced plenty of iconic moments.
But over the course of a whole game, looking at the bigger picture...
That approach not only drained Durant's energy, but also made it easy for his teammates to gradually lose their discipline and competitive edge.
They became less involved in the team's plays and relied too heavily on Durant's individual ability.
Little by little, they got used to standing in place whenever Durant had the ball, watching him take on his man one-on-one.
Fortunately, on that front, Chen was still a little better than KD.
He was just as capable of facilitating and setting up plays, and he was never reluctant to share the ball.
As long as his teammates moved actively and gave him an opening, he'd probably pass it to them.
His willingness to pass and his team-first attitude helped keep his teammates active off the ball...
Back in the game, after the Thunder finished their possession, the Nets immediately pushed the ball up the court again.
Harden rarely sprinted the ball over half court, then passed to