Charles Barkley’s take on the Kevin Durant-less Brooklyn Nets isn’t a pleasant one, as he believes the team cannot win a single game without the veteran in their ranks.
His shots come amid the Nets’ 112-117 loss to the Phoenix Suns, who have been struggling in the West. In Durant’s absence, Brooklyn has lost four of their games on the trot.
The forward suffered an MCL sprain in their clash against the Miami Heat after hitting the floor while defending Jimmy Butler, and the latter landed on him after Ben Simmons blocked his shot. Per a Sports Illustrated report, he will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
In his absence, Kyrie Irving has been shouldering much of the scoring load for Brooklyn, but it has been an uphill task with the results not going their way. Barkley didn’t mince his words when he outlined how vital Durant was to the lineup and how they struggled to eke out a win without him.
“I Don’t Think The Nets Will Win Another Game Without KD”: Charles Barkley
The string of losses didn’t please Barkley as he took a dig at the Nets’ inability to close out games. Their consecutive losses come as a blow after their impressive surge in December as they racked up a series of wins.
Before his injury, Durant was a force averaging 29.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. Per The Nets Daily, the former Phoenix Suns star was blunt with his call.
"I don't think the nets will win another game without KD," said Charles Barkley.
— NetsDaily (@NetsDaily) January 20, 2023
“I don’t think the nets will win another game without KD,” said Charles Barkley.
Earlier, Kyrie Irving spoke of the confidence in the locker room despite Durant’s absence. He and the unit were optimistic about the team’s chances even without their best player on the floor. Per the New York Post:
“I’m consistently in the lineup: That helps,” Irving said. “We also don’t have halfway-in anyone in the locker room and there’s a primary focus on the big picture here. It was all glory-glory last week when we were winning games every game, and now we’re answering questions about potentially struggling. I don’t think we are going to struggle without Kevin now. That’s not my belief. I know guys in the locker room don’t believe that. This isn’t last year at all. So the comparisons have got to stop.”
Only time will tell if the Nets will get back on track till Durant gets ready for some basketball action.
They play the Utah Jazz next, where Irving and the likes of Ben Simmons and Nic Claxton have a chance to prove Barkley wrong.
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