Former NBA center Kendrick Perkins believes Nets superstar Kevin Durant will be under the most pressure next season.
"Kevin Durant is gonna be under the most pressure next year. Golden St. has reached the Finals, replaced him with Andrew Wiggins, & hasn't lost a beat when healthy. KD, the performance he had against the Celtics was horrible."
Agree with @KendrickPerkins?pic.twitter.com/JhQVSUQ0UI
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 27, 2022
Despite another elite season individually, Durant's Nets fell mightily short of expectations. After sneaking in as a seven seed, they got swept by the Celtics. While Durant averaged 26.3 points per game in the series, he only shot just over 38% from the field. In the regular season, he was lights out in 55 games. He averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.4 assists on 51.8% from the field. If he played the whole season, he may have been in the MVP conversation a bit more. Instead, he settled for an appearance on the All-NBA 2nd team.
As a result, Durant was heavily criticized for his performance. Meanwhile, as Perkins mentioned, Durant's previous team, the Warriors, are currently preparing for the NBA Finals. It'll be an interesting and crucial offseason for Durant and the Nets, particularly for the future of the team. It remains unclear if both Durant and running mate Kyrie Irving will stay together.
Regardless, it's clear something needs to change. In turn, the pressure is mounting on Durant, thinks Perkins. At 33 years old, the pressure does indeed seem to be growing for Durant. A two-time champion with the Warriors, Durant has yet to win a title outside of Golden State.
Despite the pressure on Durant personally, it's hard to envision the Warriors making the Finals being a contributor to his legacy. The Warriors won 73 games before Durant arrived, so it should be of no surprise that they are thriving without him.
Follow Us
Subscribe