The offseason is much longer than people anticipate. It has been almost 3 full months without NBA action on the court and fans are starting to thirst for some competitive basketball again. Everyone’s been watching EuroBasket 2022, but Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Luka Doncic all were eliminated from the tournament in the quarter-finals. Now, many are back to counting the days down until NBA games start again in October.
One of the biggest talking points of the offseason was the Kevin Durant trade saga, as the Brooklyn Nets star requested a trade that never materialized due to the Nets’ having an extremely high asking price for KD, who still had 4-years on his contract left. The player and the team agreed to reconcile and KD is going to head into the 2022-23 season as a Brooklyn Net.
The pressure for him to deliver on the court will be even higher than it has been in past seasons because of the complicated summer the team went through due to KD’s actions. However, it seems he is unwinding to the fullest with a video of him playing pickleball going viral.
KD getting the hang of this pickleball thing 🙌🏓
(via @DinkPickleball, tshieldsy/IG) https://t.co/Y45Uv8q0Js
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 14, 2022
Will Kevin Durant Come Into The 2022-23 Season Ready To Lead The Brooklyn Nets To A Title?
KD is at a crossroads in his career. He just saw the Golden State Warriors win a championship without needing him for the 2nd time in his career, causing people to question how good KD can make a team on his own. His 2 titles came as a member of the Warriors on possibly the most stacked NBA team of all time.
After the summer that KD has had, he has to deliver for the Nets on the court. Unless he is upset about not being traded and decides to not play to his best, KD has to push for a title this season.
Kyrie Irving is expected to be healthy and available and the same goes for Ben Simmons. With the talent on the roster, they can easily be one of the top contenders in the East. The only way that happens is if KD is completely locked in and all of his teammates are on the same page.
