Kendrick Perkins credits Kevin Durant for restoring balance in Brooklyn Nets: “He held the organization feet to fire"
Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets defeated the San Antonio Spurs last night, improving their win streak to 12. With this, they pose as one of the biggest threats in the NBA and Kendrick Perkins commends Durant for leading the Nets to their current position.
With their 12th win in a row, Brooklyn improved to 25-12, putting them in an ideal spot in the East. According to Perkins, this was the result of Durant's leadership over the summer, restoring balance in the Nets organization. On NBA Today, the former center shared what has been influential in the team's season since the coaching change in November.
"The change of voice, the leadership, the locker room, when you look at Jacque Vaughn. And you gotta give KD a lot of credit, right? He's playing the best basketball since I saw him in Oklahoma when he won the MVP for us in the regular season," Perkins said.
"He is really locked in on both ends of the floor. He's playing some of the best defenses since I was him play alongside Draymond Green. He has carried and uplifted [Nic] Claxton. Here's another thing that we gotta give KD credit for, when KD said, and he wanted a trade or he gave the Brooklyn Nets an ultimatum sayong, 'You know what, it's either me or Sean Marks or Steve Nash.'"
"He held the organization feet to the fire. He made Sean Marks go out and get TJ Warren. He made Sean Marks go out and get Royce O'Neale." Perk added. "He made them upgrade the roster, he also made them make a coaching change, which has made the biggest difference in the world."
Perkins could be right with his take, as KD has only missed one game for the Nets this season. He has also maintained his composure despite the team's early-season struggles.
Also read: Watch: Kylian Mbappe loves Kevin Durant's tough bucket against San Antonio Spurs
The work ethic of Kevin Durant is what has separated him from the rest
Similar to some past legends, Kevin Durant has an extensive work ethic that differentiates him from the rest. KD loves to keep on improving his game, which is why he constantly works on his fundamentals. Spurs longtime coach Gregg Popovich is one of the few people who has had a chance to work with the 12-time All-Star.
Prior to their bout last night, "Pop" shared his experience with KD during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he was the head coach for the men's basketball team.
"I don't think a lot of people understand," Popovich said. "They just think he's talented and he's really good, he can get his shot off, and so on and so forth. "When practices were over, not just the other players, but coaching staff, we'd go and be mesmerized by watching him go through this individual workout."
Gregg Popovich says USA Basketball players and coaches were “mesmerized” watching Kevin Durant’s post-practice workout during the 2020 Olympics. https://t.co/kzNniMPRLx
The opportunity to coach Durant is truly a treat. Even Popovich, who's coached a plethora of great talent, was left in amazement when he saw the 2014 MVP's dedication to improvement.
To read the rest of Popovich's experience with Kevin Durant, click here.