On the latest episode of KG: Certified’s Ticket & The Truth, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett argued over Kevin Durant not being held accountable. Comparing KD to LeBron James, Pierce believed that the 2014 MVP barely receives any flake for his teams’ subpar performances. However, Garnett stood up for Durant, blaming the injury-riddled teams that the latter was a part of.
Regarding Kevin Durant at the same tier as LeBron James, Paul Pierce revealed that he had a lot of expectations from the Phoenix Suns’ forward. However, Pierce seemed to be baffled about the difference in criticism that the two receive. According to the Truth, LBJ is heavily judged when the Los Angeles Lakers don’t perform as well as they are expected to. However, KD doesn’t have to deal with the same amid the Suns’ subpar campaign.
“My expectations of him is a little higher. But what we don’t do, I don’t think we hold him a little accountable or the same type of level like we do Bron. Like when Bron ain’t playing well or his team is not playing well, we jump on them. We jump on the Lakers. But we never do that with Kevin Durant,” Pierce said.
Kevin Garnett instantly defended Durant by stating that the latter has “always” done his part. According to the Big Ticket, it has been the constant injuries that have been the reason behind KD being unable to win a title since leaving the Golden State Warriors.
Following KD’s injury-riddled stint with the Brooklyn Nets, he’s also only played merely 23 games with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal together for the Phoenix Suns this season. Additionally, Garnett also highlighted how the team was underperforming because of the absence of a traditional point guard.
“He’s (Durant) doing his part. You can’t really say nothing. That mother**ker’s stats is always on point… We can’t make that assessment with these guys being in and out. They had 23 games together – you can’t make no assessment of anything with 23. Nothing, bro. You still ain’t got a f**king point guard. That’s a major issue that nobody wants to address,” Garnett defended KD.
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LeBron James has also been unlucky considering that the Los Angeles Lakers have been injury-riddled for the past few seasons. Since the 2021-2022 season, the Lakers have witnessed Anthony Davis sit out for extended periods. This season, the likes of Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, Cam Reddish, and Christian Wood have missed numerous games. Despite the fact that a majority of crucial players have been sidelined, LeBron James has had to bear all the criticism even though he’s been having an incredible individual campaign.
Kevin Durant and the Suns, who are only two spots above the Lakers, have not been condemned as much as LeBron James and co.
Kevin Garnett previously dubbed the Phoenix Suns as Devin Booker’s team and not Kevin Durant
Amid their argument about Kevin Durant not receiving any flake, it is important to note that Kevin Garnett claimed that the Phoenix Suns were “Devin Booker’s team”. During the 2023 offseason, Garnett made it pretty clear that despite the addition of stars such as Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, the Arizona side was going to remain Booker’s team to lead. Stating that there was no responsibility on KD, Garnett said:
“I think this is Booker’s team. This is definitely Booker’s team. Hell yeah. This is Booker’s team and this is everybody in the cast coming to support him. That’s straight up.”
The Suns were expected to finish as a top seed in the West, but are only 7th in the standings with a 39-28 record. However, the team has been significantly better when the trio have played together.
Irrespective of the “leader” of the team, all three superstars – KD, Beal, and Booker – would want to close out the remaining 15 games on a successful note and advance to the postseason without having to participate in the play-in tournament.
