“I’m not watching Durant and saying ‘that’s the best player on the floor’” - Anonymous NBA scout picks 3-time All-Star as the better player over Brooklyn Nets talisman Kevin Durant
An anonymous NBA scout has picked Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum as the better player over Brooklyn Nets talisman Kevin Durant. Tatum's Celtics have dominated the Nets in the first two games of their 2022 playoffs first-round series, taking a commanding 2-0 lead.
Tatum has by far been the best player on the floor. He has also been successful against Durant, who has struggled to perform at the level fans are accustomed to seeing him play at. KD has gone 13 out of 41 from the floor.
According to NBC Sports' Chris Forsberg, Jayson Tatum guarded Kevin Durant for 10:33 minutes in Game 2. During that stretch, KD scored only four points, all from the free-throw line, going 0-of-7 from the field and committing three turnovers. Tatum also had multiple blocks against the 2014 league MVP.
Kevin Durant when guarded by Jayson Tatum in Game 2 per NBA tracking:
10:33 matchup time
4 PTS
0-7 FG
3 TO
1 BLK
Nets were 2-11 FG overall when defended by Tatum. Impacted the game with defense and playmaking even when he was struggling early.
Tatum's performances have been undisputedly better than KD's, which could've led to an anonymous NBA scout picking the Boston Celtics' All-Star over his USA teammate as the better player. Here's what The Athletic's Sam Amick reported regarding this:
“If you’re watching the game and you didn’t know who these guys were, I’m not watching Durant(and saying),‘That’s the best player on the floor.’ I’m not so sure Tatum’s not (the best)”
@sam_amick
"Smart is built like a f—g linebacker."
"To me, the length of Tatum (has been the biggest factor) that I wasn’t expecting."
Anonymous scouts analyze how Boston's defense is getting Kevin Durant — and the Nets — off their game.
📚 @sam_amick
theathletic.com/3267036/2022/0… https://t.co/6ffJoZiwGz
Can Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets make the most of their homecourt advantage against Jayson Tatum's Boston Celtics?
The Brooklyn Nets have a golden opportunity to even things up in their first-round series against the Boston Celtics. They are down 0-2, but with Games 3 and 4 set to be played at Barclays Center, Kevin Durant and Co. will have a slight advantage, despite their previous losses, to beat the C's.
However, Brooklyn needs to improve in several areas if they are to have a shot at leveling the series by the end of Game 4. They have struggled to cope with the Celtics' defensive prowess and have no answers to their unselfish offense, either. Durant and Irving, in particular, haven't been able to have the kind of impact as Boston's defense has managed to shut them down.
The Brooklyn Nets ended up blowing a 17-point lead in the last meeting due to that. Kevin Durant went 0-for-10 in the second half, while Kyrie Irving was 1-for-7 from the field during that stretch. The Nets should look to play as a team offensively and let their role players take control of proceedings to take defensive attention off their two superstars.
That's exactly the kind of strategy the Boston Celtics have used to relieve pressure off their star duo Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Boston had seven players scoring in double-digits in their previous game as a result. If the Nets manage to do the same, only then will they have a healthy chance of going back to Boston for Game 5 with the series tied.