NFL legend Shannon Sharpe and three-time All-Star Gilbert Arenas recently hopped on to Sharpe’s Nightcap podcast to discuss the upcoming postseason in the NBA. The duo started with the topic of naming players who have the most to lose or win from this year’s playoffs, which included big names such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
While Arenas declared that players like Zion Williamson and OKC Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will prove a lot just by getting past the First Round of the playoffs, Shannon Sharpe had a different point to add to that note. Sharpe believes that Kevin Durant has the ‘most to prove’ if the Suns qualify for the playoffs in the upcoming postseason.
“I think Kevin Durant has a lot to prove again by a Championship,” the 55-year-old remarked. Sharpe highlighted how the league had constantly scrutinized Durant, especially for his move from OKC to the Golden State Warriors in 2016 in pursuit of a Championship. Though KD did win two Championships with the Dubs, he hasn’t featured in any NBA Finals since leaving the Bay Area franchise.
Meanwhile, the First Take analyst also pointed out how the media has chastised KD for not being able to lead his own team to a chip, especially the likes of Charles Barkley calling him a ‘bus rider’. “I think he [KD] has a lot to gain this postseason because it hasn’t gone well for him since he’s been out of Golden State,” Sharpe added.
KD is currently playing for the Phoenix Suns, having played at Brooklyn after leaving the Dubs in 2019. The Suns with its Big Three of Bradley Beal, KD, and Devin Booker were dubbed as a Super Team at one point in time. So there’s no doubt that this is a Championship or bust season for them, as Sharpe pointed out.
How has Kevin Durant fared in the playoffs since leaving the Warriors?
Kevin Durant joined the Golden State Warriors in 2016 and immediately won his first career NBA championship within a season. He also went on to win a second championship with Golden State in 2018. However, in 2019, owing to growing tensions in the locker room and with the Warriors organization, Durant departed the Bay Area and joined the Brooklyn Nets. Since then, Durant has failed to reach the NBA Finals despite putting up numbers on the stat sheet.
According to Stat Muse, since leaving the Golden State Warriors, Durant has averaged 30.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in 27 playoff games. His playoff record since then has been lackluster, with a record of 13-14. It was not just the NBA Finals; KD couldn’t reach even the Conference Finals with his teams.
Such lackluster performance has attracted much trolling and hate for KD, reminiscent of the days when such negative attention led him to move to the Warriors from OKC. Perhaps, Shannon Sharpe’s analysis is quite on point in this regard, given KD now has to prove himself as a leader in these upcoming playoffs.
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