Kevin Durant, despite claiming that the era of the small guards in the league is over, backed Trae Young in his newly building tension with Patrick Beverley. The Rockets’ superstar saw what the former Lakers guard said about Trae Young on his podcast and did not appreciate it at all. He went on social media and responded to his comments about the Hawks guard.
“Aye. This shit is getting outta hand, man. Cmon, Pat, you sound delusional, brother,” wrote Durant on X.
It all started when Patrick Beverley started criticizing All-Star guards on social media for lack of effort during the All-Star game, and Young’s response did not sit well with him. Beverley went on to criticize Young and made bold, outright claims like Young hasn’t ‘earned the right’ to even talk to him or he hasn’t won enough in his career.
“I don’t think he’s won enough to even speak to me… He’s been to the playoffs three times. I’ve been to the playoffs nine times. He’s been in the league seven years, and in my first seven years, I didn’t miss the playoffs at all,” said Beverley on his podcast.
“I’ve talked to people who played in Atlanta. They don’t wanna play there. Why? They don’t think he’s a good leader. They don’t think he’s a good teammate… You can make all the money you want. You can have all the leading assists you want. You can do all that. If you don’t win, that sh*t won’t matter. If you don’t win, when you retire, they’re gonna forget your name.”
Fans tried to defend Beverley for criticizing Trae Young as the Hawks guard’s future remains uncertain in Atlanta. But Durant was taking none of that as some fans started questioning Durant’s legacy back when he was on the Nets.
“Put some bass in your voice, chump,” responded Durant hilariously to one of his critics.
Durant is one of the many players who often go viral every summer for playing open gym games, just like Trae Young himself. Therefore, it seems Beverley’s words did not sit well with him either. Young clearly felt attacked unnecessarily and hence asked Beverley to let him speak for himself in the first place. But Beverley included himself in a discussion where he might not have a say.
Trae Young has averaged 25.3 points, 9.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds in his seven years with the Hawks and has been selected to four All-Star games in that duration and been selected to the All-NBA third team. In Beverley’s 12 seasons in the NBA, he averaged 8.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists and was selected to the All-Defensive teams on three occasions.
Therefore, he only speaks from a third-person perspective when he answers the question of why All-Star players put more effort into open gym games than at the All-Star weekend. And his response was not just inflammatory but also flat-out disrespectful to Trae Young, who has arguably achieved a lot more than Beverley ever did.
