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Kevin Durant has been playing like an MVP already but there has been an unspoken truth within the Brooklyn Nets regarding their fear about the superstar.
Undeniably, Kevin Durant is in the zone this season, having been putting on insane numbers for the Nets. To date, the two-time NBA champion is averaging almost 30 points per game, a stat that put him on top of all scorers in the league.
Stating the obvious, KD has become a favorite to win the MVP award this year, and Nets head coach Steve Nash could be well aware of it.
“Kevin, he’s just incredible,” Nash said via Nets.com. “His level of play is insane. Efficiency, leading the league in scoring with as few shots as it takes for him to do so is incredible in its own right. Some of the nights he’s had to close games down the stretch, to defend at the rate he’s defended at, you put it all together and it’s an incredible start to the season.”
While the Nets evidently enjoy Durant's exceptional run, the team is also cautious about his health. It can be recalled that the four-time NBA scoring champ got the entire league fearing about his future when he suffered a devastating ACL injury in 2019.
Given the stigma of the said injury in the NBA, the Nets should be responsible enough to come up with all kinds of preventive measures to avoid putting Durant on the same situation, something Nash is already contemplating about at this point.
“It's a really important topic,” Nash said before Brooklyn thumped the Philadelphia 76ers 114-105 at Barclays Center Thursday night via . “I don't know we can continue to lean on him the way we have. It doesn't feel right.”
“I know [KD's] he's enjoying it,” he explained. “I know he's enjoying playing at the rate he's playing at and trying to bring his teammates along with him and all the responsibility that he's accepted and crushed, basically. It's just been incredible. But, at the same time, it's not safe or sustainable to lean on him like that.”
Apparently, Nash is being true to his word. Despite the Nets definitely needing Durant's incredible scoring, the team has been resting its players every now and then. However, with All-Star guard Kyrie Irving still out of the picture, Nash knows that he and his staff need to “figure out” how they could possibly protect Durant by limiting his playing time and still win games at the same time.
Article Continues Below“There's gonna be a lot of consideration and we'll have to figure out ways to give him [Durant] breaks,” the coach admitted.
As it stands, Durant is still one of the most active players in the current Nets squad, having only missed one game to date. And so far, he has not shown any hint of past injuries on the court and has managed to be at his best form almost every game.
What's even more surprising, Durant is not like his peers who are too intense. It's not like he's lacking intensity or not taking the game seriously, but instead, it's just his unique winning mentality that stands.
“I don’t think I had to do anything extra,” Durant pointed out. “I was just being myself. I love playing, I love being out there. The challenge of winning is fun to me, so no matter who’s on the floor, we want to play to win.”
“We’re all passionate about the game,” he continued. “It’s not like I’m the main voice out there. Everybody is talking and communicating. That’s what a team is about and accepting, I wouldn’t call it criticism, but just David Duke giving me a reminder of what I should do on a pick-and-roll, or the same with (Nic Claxton). I think we all are very receptive to what we can do better out there and that makes a team, so it’s much more than my leadership.”
As for the MVP talks, Durant, who is averaging 38 points and 8.5 assists over his last four games for the Nets, and Steph Curry, who had just become the greatest 3-point shooter of all time, still lead the way.
However, due to Durant's recent series of outstanding performances which includes his season-best 51-point explosion during the Nets' 116-104 win over the Detroit Pistons this past weekend, he has reportedly taken over the No. 1 spot in the rankings.
The Nets are now the best team in the East and they are fingers-crossed that Durant stays healthy en route to post season.
