Kevin Durant was knocked out of the playoffs almost a month back at this point, but that isn’t stopping Brooklyn Nets fans from taking shots at him.
He first had to deal with a fan accusing him of not wanting the Nets to re-sign Bruce Brown, who is shining for the Denver Nuggets in the Finals. The conversation then went on, with a Nets fan stating he quit on the team and that he wants to take no responsibility for things going south during his time there.
While Durant isn’t entirely responsible for the Nets failing to meet expectations during his time there, he certainly deserves some of the blame. His numbers were great as usual, as he averaged 29.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 5.8 APG, 0.8 SPG, and 1.2 BPG, but behind the scenes, it was a total mess. He’s never wanted to be a leader and so, didn’t really try to do anything to sort out all the problems that were going on.
Fans also seem to think that Durant had a role to play in the Phoenix Suns firing Monty Williams, but there’s no way to know that for sure. Williams’ fate was really sealed after back-to-back humiliating postseason exits at home and new owner Mat Ishbia was always likely to make a change. A firing he might have had a role to play in, was that of Steve Nash’s, as a Nets insider blamed him and Kyrie Irving for Nash’s dismissal.
There Is Going To Be A Lot Of Pressure On Kevin Durant Next Season
If Durant follows up his Nets tenure by failing with the Suns as well, he’s going to have an avalanche of criticism come his way from the media and fans. By his high standards, he did not have a great series against the Nuggets, as while he averaged 29.5 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 5.0 APG, 0.7 SPG, and 1.7 BPG, he shot just 45.3% from the field and 22.2% from beyond the arc.
He still gets a pass as he didn’t have a lot of time to gel with his new team but that excuse won’t be there next season. If the 2023-24 campaign ends in disappointment for Phoenix, Durant will get called out yet again, for being unable to have success after leaving the Golden State Warriors.
