This summer has come full circle for Kevin Durant. After leading his team to the NBA playoffs last spring, the Nets collapsed in the first round against Boston, losing in a 4-0 series sweep that sent the franchise into a tailspin.
Now, just over a week to go before the start of the season, and Durant is back with the Nets and preparing for another 82-game stretch.
In fact, during the team’s annual public practice event this weekend, Durant made sure to make his attendance known and was all smiles as he played before an excited crowd.
Kevin Durant’s introduced at PITP. pic.twitter.com/YhfDY37Atn
— Alex Schiffer (@Alex__Schiffer) October 9, 2021
Kevin Durant at PITP pic.twitter.com/1pJRoSlef6
— Brooklyn Netcast (@BrooklynNetcast) October 9, 2022
Kevin Durant & Chiozza Practice in The Park 💯💯 pic.twitter.com/sncRaA2qos
— NetsKingdom 👑🗽 (@NetsKingdomAJ) October 9, 2022
After such a chaotic summer, this is the sort of scene that experts thought impossible just a few months ago. When Durant made his trade request, it essentially broke his relationship with the franchise, and that is not going to be repaired overnight.
Kevin Durant Will Return To The Nets After Failed Trade Demand This Summer
But now that he is back, and the team is intact, what has he got to lose by giving it his best shot?
The Brooklyn swing man spoke out on his return to Brooklyn for the first time and revealed what it was that brought him back.
Looking ahead to the upcoming season, Durant did not show any signs of giving up. In fact, he expressed a lot of faith and optimism about how far they can go.
“I felt like we had a good team, Durant told reporters. “I felt like this is the place I said I wanted to be. We started to set something up in the future to be a solid team. So to be honest I thought this was still a great option, too.”
“When you look at the grand scheme of things, we haven’t been healthy at all for two years. Each playoffs we didn’t have major guys … So when you got $50 million dollars on your bench this last playoffs with Joe and Ben … I want to see what our team looks like in full.”
Needless to say, the Nets are going to have more than their fair share of doubters this season. After what they went through in the last campaign, nobody is really expecting much from them.
But with Durant, Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons, and others, Brooklyn has enough talent to compete against anyone. All they need is for their guys to lock in and stay ready for the grind of an 82-game season.
