Neglect almost everything that bewitched, bothered and bewildered the Nets this season. There has been 1 rationale to tune in each and every evening to check out then perform — very well, at least 55 times and evenings, in any case. Kevin Durant is that rationale.
Nothing at all else has long gone according to plan during this three-yr chapter. The Nets had been immediately excused from the bubble in 2020. James Harden pushed his way here, arrived, played perfectly, grew disenchanted, pushed his way out, all in the space of 14 months. Kyrie Irving has been harm, he’s been unvaccinated and unavailable. The Nets were being going to win 60 video games this calendar year. They settled on 44, and needed a 12-5 warm streak at the conclusion to get there.
By it all, Durant has been wonderful.
By means of it all, Durant has been the just one thing the Nets can depend on, recreation after sport, evening immediately after night, crisis soon after crisis. He was presented a newbie mentor and all he’s finished is assistance make Steve Nash’s task a lot easier for him. He was supplied a pair of supporting stars in Harden and Irving who were being chronically unreliable, and a third, Ben Simmons, who has nevertheless to match up for the Nets — and just held playing at an practically unimaginably higher level.
Through it all, Durant has remained, at age 33, at worst the third or fourth very best basketball player on the planet, averaging 29.9/7.4/6.4 and capturing .518/.383/.910.
(A single man’s checklist, for kicks and giggles: 1. Giannis Antetokounmpo 2. Nikola Jokic 3. Durant 4. Joel Embiid. Although I’d vote Jokic for MVP.)
He has a knack for handling most factors properly. He might have overstepped the line a couple weeks back putting stress on Mayor Adams to elevate the mandate but that was the product or service of 5 months of pent-up frustration. He receives a mulligan for that. And for his authentic, considerate responses about the Brooklyn subway taking pictures Tuesday early morning.
“It’s devastating to hear about,” Durant mentioned Tuesday morning, following the Nets’ wander-via in anticipation of their engage in-in match versus the Cavaliers Tuesday night at Barclays Center.
“To listen to the sirens out front of the apply facility and see so a great deal commotion heading on outside the house, you hope and pray for the greatest for all people associated.”
Durant was equally thoughtful when he talked about the MVP race. It is inarguable that when Durant performed this calendar year he performed at an MVP-stage the whole way, he only was derailed for 25-plus games by a balky knee. He acknowledges that’ll damage his probabilities when the votes are before long totaled.
“If I had to pick out, I would go Joel Embiid,” Durant claimed. “He led the league in scoring, double-doubles, his group won 50 online games this yr. Figures were being outstanding. It’s a excellent calendar year.
“But you can just near your eyes and just pick any a person of the guys out of the best 6 or 7, and you can have a fantastic MVP this yr. That displays how terrific our league is right now and how gifted our league is from prime to bottom, but I would go with Embiid if I had to choose.”
Among people six or 7, of training course, is Durant, who regularly has shaken off the numerous and sundry problems that have attempted to subvert the Nets’ mission. He is, in reality, the principal cause why the Nets still have a mission.
“I see why I’m not in that dialogue,” Durant stated. “But I’m positive there’s a lot of fellas in the league that participate in MVP-caliber basketball for their clubs. That enable their golf equipment arrive at heights that they almost certainly do not attain this yr [without them], but when it comes to the complete league, there’s just so many great gamers taking part in ideal now, it’s tricky to choose. But I can actually say, it’s 10 or 12 of us probably that can be in that discussion.
“That’s really awesome to see that in our league.”
And comforting for Nets admirers who have recognized, all year, that no subject what else, there is usually No. 7. Not a undesirable point to have a participant like Durant on your aspect, and not another person else’s.
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