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Durant: 'I don't need the All-Star vote to validate me as a player'

Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Durant didn't hear his name called Thursday when starters for the 2015 NBA All-Star Game were announced. 

But the reigning MVP isn't bothered by it. 

"I don't need the All-Star vote to validate me as a player," Durant said Friday, according to Michael Wallace of ESPN. "I'm always motivated. This is my eighth year in the league. I've been on All-Star teams before. I've done things in this league. I don't need that to validate me."

Durant had been voted into the All-Star Game as a starter in each of the previous four seasons, but found himself on the outside looking in in the crowded Western Conference. The starting frontcourt for the West consists of Marc Gasol, Anthony Davis and Blake Griffin, who join a backcourt featuring Kobe Bryant and Stephen Curry. 

Bryant is expected to miss the remainder of the season with a torn rotator cuff, but it's Houston Rockets guard James Harden who stands to benefit as his obvious replacement. 

Durant received nearly a million fewer votes than he did a year ago and believes injuries that cost him 23 games played a role in the decrease. After garnering 1,396,294 votes in 2014, he only received 545,226 this time around, placing him fifth among forwards in the Western Conference, ninth among all West players and 16th overall. 

"It is what it is," he said. "I'm also motivated because I love playing basketball. Honest, I haven't played a lot. So it's all good." 

Durant was on a minutes restriction when he returned from injury, so his seasonal averages are unsurprisingly down from his MVP campaign. But his numbers per 36 minutes are right on par, as is his player efficiency rating, and he's shooting better. Durant took a career-high 65.4 true shooting percentage into Friday's game against the Atlanta Hawks

Numbers per 36 minutes:

Player PPG RPG APG PER
2013-14 29.9 6.9 5.1 29.90
2014-15 28.3 7.7 4.3 29.55

The superstar still has a chance to get selected as a reserve, but that will be determined by a coaches vote. And based on his big season - despite the injuries - and stature in the game, he's likely headed to his sixth consecutive All-Star Game.

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