Over the last few months, Kevin Durant has been the focus of attention for the NBA community. At first, he was berated by the media for failing to lead the Brooklyn Nets to even a single win in the first round of the 2022 playoffs against the Boston Celtics.
The Nets got swept, and it raised a lot of questions about the future of KD. As predicted, he ended up asking for a trade after having an underwhelming performance in the postseason.
While for quite some time it felt like Durant was on his way out, it was announced that he will stay with the Nets, at least for another season. With the cloud over his future cleared, the next step for him is to prove that he can lead the Nets to an NBA Championship.
Despite having a great supporting cast in the last two seasons, KD has simply failed to live up to the expectations in the playoffs. Now, the only thing that will vanquish the fans’ hunger is winning an NBA title.
Stephen A. Smith Questions Kevin Durant’s Legacy
NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith and Kevin Durant certainly do not look eye-to-eye. So when it comes to calling out KD, Smith never backs down, and he did so in a recent video as well.
Smith believes if Durant cannot lead the Nets to an NBA Championship, it will start to raise questions about his place among other current greats such as LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
(Starts at 2:24):
“The only way to overcome that narrative is for you to show up in Brooklyn this year. We already know you could average 30. You averaged 29 last year. We know what KD gonna do on the basketball court. We’re not talking about what you’re gonna do individually in terms of your own numbers, your own stats of what you bring to the table. We’re talking about your ability to galvanize the troops in Brooklyn and to make a legitimate run at the title.
That’s where everything is really under a microscope, that’s where the legacy is in jeopardy of being tarnished. Not about his ability, not about his greatness. There’s nothing to talk about there that is cemented this brother is one of the all-time greats, but you will be talking about him as a leader, the face of a franchise, and whether or not you’re a guy that deserves the status that LeBron has had, that Steph Curry has now had. Are you someone that’s worthy of that? That is going to be it’s the lone question about KD. There’s nothing else to question.”
Since it was unveiled that KD’s staying with the Nets, the team’s odds of winning the title have certainly improved. But that still doesn’t mean that KD will actually lead the Nets to a title.
He has won two rings in his career, and both came when he was part of the superteam and playing for the Golden State Warriors. He still has a pretty good team at his disposal, and if he fails to win an NBA Championship, it will have a negative impact on his legacy in the league. KD will forever be remembered by fans as the person who joined Stephen Curry because he couldn’t win NBA Championships alone.
