Kevin Durant: It's not disrespect, but what are you expecting from Brooklyn Nets with our starting lineup?
Watch more live NBA on Sky Sports this week with Toronto Raptors @ Atlanta Hawks, live on SS Arena, Mix & Main Event from 11pm on Saturday night; Sunday sees a double-header with New York Knicks @ Phoenix Suns from 8.30pm, then Denver Nuggets @ Dallas Mavericks from 12.30am on SS Arena
Thursday 17 November 2022 16:59, UK
Kevin Durant could be forgiven for feeling that the Brooklyn Nets is not the place for him to win his third NBA championship.
Durant teamed up with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green as part of the 2017 and 2018 Golden State Warriors teams which won consecutive titles and only a litany of injuries denied them a three-peat a year later. Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors denied them when Thompson tore his ACL and Durant himself went down with a torn Achilles.
That proved to be it in Golden State for Durant, who moved to Brooklyn for the next step in his career as part of a Big Three containing Kyrie Irving and James Harden where expectations of a first title for the franchise were immediate.
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Unfortunately, the dream of lifting the Larry O'Brien with that trio never materialised as, for a variety of reasons that could never have been predicted when the trade was made, they played only 16 games together during their time with the Nets.
At last season's trade deadline, the franchise pivoted when Harden was moved to the Philadelphia 76ers with Ben Simmons coming the other way. The Australian's production so far has been very disappointing and he seems to be appearing to settle. Irving, who missed the vast majority of his team's home games last season due to his refusal to get vaccinated against Covid-19, is now sitting out due to sharing anti-semitic posts on social media.
With stars unavailable and a supporting cast unequipped to cover for their absences, the fact Durant is averaging over 30 points per game has meant little in terms of getting wins, with the Nets 6-9 so far in the campaign.
"Look at our starting lineup. Edmond Sumner, Royce O'Neale, Joe Harris, [Nic] Claxton and me," Durant told Bleacher Report in a wide-ranging and candid interview. "It's not disrespect, but what are you expecting from that group? 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.
"Individually, I'm like, 'All right, I have to dodge five defenders,' but it's fun going through that s*** because it's only making me better as a basketball player. I'm really having a good time. I wish y'all could hear me talk during the game. If I got mic'd up more, people would stop asking me if I'm happy or not. I'm enjoying every moment I get to step on this court, and part of it is because I tore my Achilles. And the pandemic, I didn't know if we were going to play again. I didn't know if I was going to play again.
"It's been fun trying to leverage myself to help everybody else get better. I'm learning the game more and seeing all types of crazy defenses every night. I never know how a team is going to guard me. This is all helping me mentally as a player to see things a little slower, playing a little slower."
It's been a never-ending soap opera with the Nets in the last few years and it all became a bit much for Durant in the summer when he requested a trade citing concerns about team stability, but that was later put to bed in August when player and team decided to "move forward in partnership".
After he decided to stay, the poor start to the season led to head coach Steve Nash departing the team and Jacque Vaughn was appointed to replace him earlier this month. Durant is happy with the new appointment, believing it can be the catalyst for a turnaround in fortunes - despite him giving the interview after the Nets let the Sacramento Kings drop 153 points on them in a blowout loss.
"It wasn't difficult at all to request a trade because it was about ball," said Durant. "I went to them and was like, 'Yo, I don't like how we are preparing. I don't like shootarounds. I like practices.' This was the type of s*** I was coming at them with. Ask Steve Nash, you can go call him right now. I would say, 'Yo, I need more closeout drills. We need to practice more.' That's what I was on.
"I wasn't feeling that, and nobody was on that same vibe with me. Jacque Vaughn is. I had some complaints in the summer, and my complaints were not about just me; it was about how we are moving as a unit. I want us to be respected out here in the basketball world. I don't want players to look at us and say, 'Oh man, these [expletive] are full of s***. That's not the type of team I want to be on.' So when we're all playing like s***, you know the one person they're going to look at. That's why I requested a trade."
At the moment, with Simmons still struggling to contribute and Irving absent through suspension, the onus is falling on Durant to carry the Nets but he's enjoying the challenge.
The team's poor record and Durant's demeanour on court have led to the 34-year-old being criticised for a lack of leadership but he bristles at that suggestion.
"I'm not a leader? What the f*** does that mean? A lot of people say I'm not a leader because I didn't tell Kyrie to get vaccinated," contended Durant. "Come on. Or I didn't condemn Kyrie for leaving the team, going out and living his life. I'm not about to tell a grown-a** man what he can and can't do with his own life and dissect his views or how he thinks about s***."
One of the elements that is oft-criticised in relation to Durant is the suggestion that he couldn't have won a ring without Curry and Co helping him and that the fact he moved to the Warriors to form a super-team in some way damages his Hall of Fame-level legacy.
Durant doesn't buy that, not even a little bit.
"All that extra s*** like, 'You got to win before you retire and make sure your legacy is straight,' that's b****** to me," Durant added. "My legacy is predicated on what Cam Thomas is learning from me and what he'll take away to help him by the time he's in his 10th year. That's my legacy. What I did with Andre Roberson, the confidence I helped him build when he was in the league. That's my legacy. Being able to play with Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry and Kyrie and still be me. Yeah, that's my legacy. That's who I am. That's what I bring to the game.
"I can play with anybody, anywhere, at any time, and you know I'm going bring it every day. That should be my legacy."
Watch more live NBA on Sky Sports this week with Toronto Raptors @ Atlanta Hawks, live on SS Arena, Mix & Main Event from 11pm on Saturday night; Sunday sees a double-header with New York Knicks @ Phoenix Suns from 8.30pm, then Denver Nuggets @ Dallas Mavericks from 12.30am on SS Arena.
