‘Kevin Durant Needs to Get Married’: Ric Bucher’s Surprising Advice to Suns Superstar On Dealing With Critics

Kevin Durant knows ball and he can’t tolerate those critics who don’t. The Suns’ superstar’s broadsides against critics and their criticism are by now part of the game. Recently, Charles Barkley and Kevin Durant had an argument online over ‘load management.’ The way KD reacted certainly made Ric Bucher concerned.

So, Bucher offered Durant some interesting advice. The FS1 analyst asked the Slim Reaper to get married so that he could deal with his critics better. We’ve seen a lot around here but Bucher’s advice is certainly novel.

Durant needs to pick his Battles

Speaking on an episode of Speak, Ric Bucher offered his thoughts on Durant’s outbursts against his critics. Durant who is well known for calling out criticism that he considers biased recently questioned Charles Barkley’s claims publically. This sparked a debate on whether the Suns star should respond directly.

Asked about his thoughts, Bucher gave some interesting advice. Durant needs to get into a relationship or better, get married fast, said Bucher. The reason is that KD would then learn the art of knowing when and where to reply to criticisms and when to let it slide. While certainly novel, Bucher has a point. No relationship works where a person takes every criticism personally. Learning to pick your battles is necessary.

"Kevin Durant needs to get married. Kevin Durant needs a relationship that teaches him what you have to respond to and what you just let go."

Ric Bucher's message to KD on criticism 😅pic.twitter.com/V68z6JBWHr

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 3, 2023

Bucher stressed the need to know what criticism to take and what to dismiss. He pointed out that when you’re a superstar at KD’s level, everyone has an opinion of you. Every critic and every person has their take. Letting that get under your skin is a big mistake.

Read more: “Kevin Durant Shows Up to Teams That are Contenders”: NBA Twitter Mocks Skip Bayless For Declaring KD Better Than LeBron James

KD Calls Out His Critics

However, Durant clearly feels compelled to reply to criticisms. The Slim Reaper is by now an unquestioned all-time great. Critics though have pointed to his apparent incapability of winning without a superteam and this has clearly bothered KD. Barkley was the most recent and high-profile example and Durant was quick to question his claims.

It’s common to see KD call out critics, ranging from anonymous to legends like Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley. Barkley and Shaq have borne the brunt of Durant’s scrutiny on Twitter. To be fair to KD, it’s not very hard to understand why he cares. When unquestionable legends with massive platforms like Shaq and Barkley make questionable claims, replying must feel obligatory.

KD’s critics are often harsh, biased, and unfair. This is true. However, Bucher has a point. One of the true marks of a great is knowing when to shut up and let your game do the talking.

Read more: “Just Another Game”: Kevin Durant Elucidates What Playing Against Kyrie Irving Meant