NBA news: Kevin Durant showing immense growth as leader of the Brooklyn Nets
- Tyler Vaysman
- 6 April 2022
The NBA season hasn't gone nearly as well as expected for the Brooklyn Nets, but is that the fault of Kevin Durant, or is he beginning to show sings of growth as a senior member of his team?
Between Kyrie Irving being out for most of the season - due to the vaccine mandates in New York - and James Harden essentially quitting on the team, Kevin Durant could easily be pointing fingers as to what's been going wrong with the team.
However, the 33-year-old feels a significant burden on how this season has gone, despite the circumstances being out of his control.
"To be honest, I feel like our season was derailed by my injury," Durant said. "So I'm not looking at it like we're just not a good basketball team. It's like there wasn't a lot of continuity with me and Kyrie out of the line-up, that's just what it is. When we're all on the floor together, I like what we got."
Durant is absolutely right in that his team is as good as any out there, if not better, when he and Irving are in the line-up.
However, both have rarely suited up together this season, and with the Harden trade and other pieces trying to get acclimated to playing with Brooklyn's superstar duo on both sides of the floor, it's been tough for this team to develop that necessary chemistry to win championships.
Durant's mindset sets great tone moving forward
A lot of times, superstars can get complacent with their natural talent alone, which can lead to lazy habits and not doing the necessary things to hold your teammates accountable.
However, Durant doesn't buy the notion of complacency.
"You can talk about expectations and what you see this team on paper - I always said this, but every day matters," Durant said.
"You want to be a champion every second that you step on the floor, not just when we play a good team or the play-offs coming up. I think being a champion is in the habits and the work ethic, the care that you have for the game. It's a lot of champions out here that never won a ring, but they approach their work that way."
"So that's how I felt our team needed to approach this season, and guys have, but some stuff that's out of individuals' control is the reason why we're in certain positions. So that doesn't stop you from having the championship mentality every day as an individual."
A fanbase that is starved for their first championship in franchise history is starved to hear this perspective, as the Nets have dealt with coming so close to winning championships in years past but never getting over the hump.
With Durant locked in until 2026, Nets fans should feel great about their chances of winning at least one championship between now and then.
