To say that this season for the Brooklyn Nets has been a roller coaster would be an understatement. At the beginning of the season the team had the fourth best odds to win the NBA Championship on a roster that has been loaded with top end talent for the past few years. Currently they sit 12th in the east with a 6-9 record.
Kevin Durant sat down for an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report after losing to the Sacramento Kings on national television by a score of 153-121 to discuss this tumultuous last six months.
Bleacher Report, along with the basketball world, all seemed to have the same question in mind: how much longer can Durant handle being in an environment like this?
This summer the answer seemed to be no longer as he openly requested a trade and made his stance look like either Steve Nash goes as head coach or Durant leaves. Neither ended up happening in the offseason.
Now Nash is gone but the Nets are still looking for a spark to get them going and push them towards being contenders in the playoffs.
“That’s what I said last summer. I didn’t feel like we had those things last year like good preparation, great energy to start real team chemistry, and I feel like we’re building that right now. We got some guys in and out the lineup, but I think guys have been figuring out their roles within that. And it’s been fun, regardless of games like tonight.” Durant told Bleacher Report
When he references people in and out of the lineup it’s not hard to infer who he is talking about. Kyrie Irving is currently serving an internal team suspension for tweeting about an Anti-Semitic film and failing to apologize appropriately for such actions. Ben Simmons has been a shell of his former all-star and first-team all-defence self and he continues to battle injury along with what many consider a lack of desire to even play.
Durant knows many nights he is marooned on an island where teams can focus on stopping him and now there isn’t much around to pick up the slack.
“Look at our starting lineup. Edmond Sumner, Royce O’Neale, Joe Harris, [Nic] Claxton and me. It’s not disrespect, but what are you expecting from that group?” Durant asked of B/R. “You expect us to win because I’m out there. So, if you’re watching from that lens, you’re expecting us to play well because No. 7 is out there.” Said Durant.
Although the media and executives across the league have often pointed out and thought he must be miserable in his current situation, Durant says it is quite the opposite and is enjoying his time with the team, mentoring younger players and just wants to hoop at the end of the day.
While it is his prerogative to simply want to practice more, do more drills and just play basketball, the fact remains that he is one of the best players and talents this league has ever seen, and people have high expectations for what himself and his team should achieve.
Although Durant has made it abundantly clear that he could not care less what others think of him, we are left to wonder is this really how the story of Kevin Durant will come to an end? To leave the dynasty in the Golden State Warriors to play with a good friend in Kyrie Irving but then be surrounded by drama and a lack of team success during his tenure in Brooklyn.
Can this team turn it around? Can Durant be the go to leader on a championship level team? It is only November, but the clock is ticking on these Nets and Kevin Durant to right the ship.