The All-Star Game has received a lot of criticism over the past few years because the lack of effort. The league has changed the format once again in USA vs. World playing style, and the hope is that can change things. Kevin Durant has already been broken up in his team since there are two Team USAs, and he says you shouldn't have to worry about his squad and their effort.
On the other hand, he says the real culprits are on the World Team, and he called out Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic in his recent presser.
“You should ask the Europeans and the World team if they're going to compete,” Durant said via ESPN's Michael C. Wright. “If you look at Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic now, let's go back and look at what they do in the All-Star Game. Is that competition? So we haven't questioned what they've been doing. But we're going to question the old heads, and the Americans.
“But these two dudes out there, Luka and Jokic, they don't care about the game at all. These dudes be laying on the floor. They're shooting from half court. But you've got to worry about the old heads playing hard? I can read between the lines, bro. It's just an overall topic that everybody's been talking about.”
Doncic and Jokic are usually jogging up and down the court during the All-Star Game, and they'll shoot a crazy shot here and there. Nonetheless, they are not the only players on the court who are doing the same thing, as some American players fall into that same trap.
There are some players who take it seriously, and they usually end up with a lot of points and win the All-Star MVP.
With this new format, it will be interesting to see if the players end up showing more effort or if it will be much of the same thing.
