Fans watching from outside see veterans like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant as two of the best offensive players in the league. But it’s a completely different experience for someone watching players of that caliber as their teammate. Well, Andre Drummond was lucky to experience that.
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And he shared his story on the Run Your Race podcast. The 76ers star got an opportunity to play with both of them for a brief period during his 2022 stint with the Brooklyn Nets. In a short span of time, Kyrie and KD have left quite an impression on Drummond.
The 31-year-old hailed their natural, God-given talent that separates them from mere mortals. He also claimed that they’re like magicians on the floor.
Drummond said, “Watching those guys and being on the same team as Kai and Kev was insane. Because they’re actual magicians with the basketball.”
“Like, what they do, it can’t be taught. A lot of their skill is God-given, you can’t teach that. There’s no amount of drills, there’s no amount of anything you can do to what those guys do.”
Even though Kyrie and KD have argued that their skills have been developed over a period of time, Drummond’s insight is credible. Because honing one’s craft can produce different results for people with disparate skill level.
While Kyrie is considered to be arguably one of the greatest ball handlers in the history of the sport, KD, in spite of being nearly seven feet tall, moves with the agility of a point guard. They’re both incredible shooters and can dribble as good as anyone in the league’s history.
So it’s difficult to not ascribe some of that to their natural abilities.
Drummond also emphasized how great these two legends are as teammates. Despite the NBA world often labeling them as self-serving, KD and Kyrie actually put their team first during their stint in Brooklyn, according to the former Nets star.
Drummond also focused on the two’s basketball knowledge. He expressed his desire to record the Nets duo’s candid conversations because of how replete with rich basketball knowledge they were.
At the end of the day, the Philly star claimed that Irving and Durant are pure hoopers, who just wanna hoop to the best of their potential. They are above the media narratives they always find themselves tangled in.
