Kevin Durant is wrong about the Golden State Warriors

Kevin Durant had some heavy criticism of the Golden State Warriors in a recent interview.

Kevin Durant hasn’t been in the media much since he blew his Achilles in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals. A lot has happened in the former MVP’s career, yet, he has chosen to remain in the shadows after leaving the Golden State Warriors in free agency.

Finally, in a recent interview for the Wall Street Journal, Durant spoke on his decision to leave the Warriors. He said it was quite simple. After looking at all of the options in front of him, KD felt like the Brooklyn Nets were the correct choice.

Durant says he didn’t even meet with the Nets beforehand. No powerpoint presentation could persuade the two-time Finals MVP. He is on a mission to find basketball happiness and he doesn’t need convincing to select a new home.

All of this is fine. KD owes nothing to the Warriors and he has every right to take his career in another direction. However, Durant did take things too far with his criticism of Steve Kerr and the Warriors offense.

Durant laid down fire at the Dubs strategy, claiming that motion offense will only get you so far. At the end of the day, Durant says, the Dubs needed him to score in isolation or else the team wouldn’t be successful.

This is blatantly incorrect. Golden State had already won a championship before Durant and nearly became repeat champions in 2016. Kerr’s motion offense unlocked the Dubs full potential and transformed Stephen Curry into a two-time MVP. Without the motion offense, the Warriors wouldn’t be who they are today.

Yes, Durant’s isolation scoring carried the Warriors through some difficult stretches. His performance in the 2018 Western Conference Finals and 2019 First Round are prime examples. Scoring in bunches when the team needed him most, Durant lifted the Dubs out of danger.

Still, to claim that the motion offense is ineffective and that the Dubs needed him is incorrect. Kerr has a successful system set in place that will continue to work in Durant’s absence. This was a shot at Kerr’s coaching ability that felt unwarranted.