The Brooklyn Nets continue to make the headlines for the wrong reasons. Kevin Durant isn't happy with the team, Kyrie Irving isn't even with the team — again, and Ben Simmons is little more than a shelf of his old self.
So, even though they entered the season as one of the biggest candidates to run away with the Eastern Conference, the truth is that they're nothing more than a borderline play-in team, at least right now.
That's why even Durant wants people to have realistic expectations about the team. So, following a humiliating loss to the Sacramento Kings, he got brutally honest about their current status.
NBA News: Kevin Durant Takes A Shot At His Teammates
“Look at our starting lineup. Edmond Sumner, Royce O’Neale, Joe Harris, [Nic] Claxton and me. It’s not disrespect, but what are you expecting from that group?" Durant told Chris Haynes. “You expect us to win because I’m out there. So if you’re watching from that lens, you’re expecting us to play well because No. 7 is out there."
Durant Says He Doesn't Need To Prove He's A Leader
KD also claimed he doesn't need to prove to everybody what he does behind closed doors and how he handles things in the locker room. He doesn't need the attention or to justify his words or actions:
“I’m not a leader? What the f--k does that mean?” Durant said. “A lot of people say I’m not a leader because I didn’t tell Kyrie to get vaccinated. Come on. Or I didn’t condemn Kyrie for leaving the team, going out and living his life. I’m not about to tell a grown-ass man what he can and can't do with his own life and dissect his views or how he thinks about s--t."
"I don't need to show or tell everybody what I'm doing with my teammates so y'all can pump me up and say, ‘Yeah, KD, you’re the boss, you’re the leader.’ These other [expletives] need that. I don’t. I don't come to you and say, ‘Haynes, write this story about me.’ I don't do that to nobody. But I come here and respect y'all. I talk to y'all like a real one, even after a blowout [loss]," Durant added.
At the end of the day, it's a shame to see one of the greatest talents in basketball history wasting one of the final years of his career on a team that's going nowhere and where egos clearly matter more than wins.
