Do you know who is the leading scorer in the NBA since the calendar flipped to 2009? 

LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade? Good choices all, but the man, make that man-child, putting up the most point since January 1st is 20 year-old Kevin Durant.

How on earth, then, did a young man who is averaging 26 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists per game miss out on this weekend's All-Star game?

Maybe coach Phil Jackson wants to reward more seasoned players like David West. Maybe he wants to force rookies to pay their dues, even if Durant is one of the most dynamic young players in the league's history. Or maybe being stuck in Oklahoma City on a horrible team, with more national intrigue surrounding Greg Oden, who was mistakenly taken by the superior Portland Trailblazers before Durant in the 2007 NBA Draft, is a recipe for anonymity. Let's be honest, the Thunder don't exactly lead SportsCenter's highlight reels on any night of the week.

Maybe people have simply not taken notice of Durant, who has scored at least 31 points in four of his team's last five games leading up to the All-Star break, including a 31-10 against the Lakers (and coach Phil Jackson).  All of that should change starting today. With the NBA on a break and all pro basketball eyes focused on the Rookie Challenge, Durant went crazy for 46 points, shattering the game's previous scoring record by 10 points. He may not have made the Western Conference All-Stars, but Friday night was undoubtedly the coming-out party for the second year player from the University of Texas.

For his part, Durant has taken the slight in stride and has the maturity to realize that while he may be underrated, his time will come. In the meantime, he will sharpen his tools, and toil in obscurity. But this is no overnight success story.

"Coming into the year, I just told myself to get better. If that comes up, it does," said Durant of All-Star recognition. "Unfortunately, I didn't make it this year, but hopefully I have more years to come. I am excited for what this team has in store, and I just need to continue to work."

While the nation may not be aware of his potential quite yet, people who have been watching know what Durant, a player with a 7'+ wingspan and unlimited shooting range, can bring to the table, including his coach, a former gym rat like Durant, Scott Brooks.

"He needs to just keep improving," Brooks said. "One thing about Kevin, he is a gym rat. He wants to get better, and he will get better. It is what he is about. He embodies what our team is about, continue to work and continue to improve, and continue to play together. Kevin does that. He does it every night. He is a very consistent player, and we are all proud of his efforts."

Durant's hard work and team play have seen an increase in all of his numbers this year, raising his averages in scoring, rebounding and assists but 6, 2 and .5, respectively. But it's not just his numbers that are up, he is learning to take better shots, playing better team and individual defense, while improving his shooting percentages from the field and beyond the arc to 47 percent and 43 percent. His game seems to have no weaknesses, except for the fact that it hasn't seemed to draw attention to itself. After Friday night in Phoenix, all of that should change.

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