“Without Kevin Durant, Nets aren’t making the NBA Finals”: Stephen A Smith warns that James Harden and Kyrie Irving may not be enough firepower for them to beat Embiid, Giannis and others

Tonoy Sengupta | 19/04/2021
"Without Kevin Durant, Nets aren't making the NBA Finals": Stephen A Smith warns that James Harden and Kyrie Irving may not be enough firepower for them to beat Embiid, Giannis and others

ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith proclaims that the Brooklyn Nets will not get out of the East without Kevin Durant in the playoffs. 

Kevin Durant has been one of the best players in the NBA for quite some time now. Even after suffering an Achilles injury, the Slim Reaper continues to dominate when he is on the court for the Brooklyn Nets. Unfortunately, though, that hasn’t been the case too often this season.

The player has missed more than just a few games this season due to a large array of injuries. And just a few games after his return, Durant has suffered yet another one. A left thing contusion to be exact, against the Miami Heat.

This accumulation of multiple injuries over such a short span of time has raised concerns in the minds of many. And it seems ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith agrees completely with that notion.

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“The Nets won’t come out of the East without Kevin Durant on the court”: Stephen A. Smith  

Stephen A. Smith might just be the most infamous NBA analyst on national television. The 53-year-old has made a career out of screaming hot takes which force fans to pay attention. Though, unlike a certain Skip Bayless, he still proves to be likable, giving fans more of a reason to follow him.

On a recent episode of ESPN’s ‘First Take’, Smith was asked if Kevin Durant’s injures worried him. And speaking passionately on the matter, this is what he had to say.

“I am very worried because I don’t think that the Brooklyn Nets come out of the East without KD on the court. That’s just the bottom line for me. I think when healthy, he is arguably the best in the world, clearly top 2 as far as I am concerned.”

The analyst continued on the matter.

“He is that lethal, he is that much of a marksman…I don’t believe they are coming out of the East (without Durant) …That could mean they get to game 7 of an Eastern Conference Finals, and then lose. Does that mean they came out of the East? No, they did not!”

Many will be quick to call Stephen A. Smith a fool for saying that the Nets wouldn’t make it out of the east without Kevin Durant. However, the talking head may have a point here.

At the end of the day, the Brooklyn Nets still lack defense. This makes them over-reliant on their offense to win games. However, if their biggest offensive weapon is stuck on the sidelines, the franchise is very likely to falter against the bigger teams in the conference.

So, it all comes down to Durant. Will he be healthy come playoff time? Or will the world feel disappointment from the Brooklyn Nets’ run in the postseason?

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Post Edited By: Amulya Shekhar
Brooklyn Nets James Harden Kevin Durant kyrie irving NBA Stephen A Smith

About the author

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta is a Senior Editor at The SportsRush. Coming from an athletically inclined family, he has been surrounded by sports ever since he was 4 years old. But, while initially pouring all his time into Football (soccer), at 14, Tonoy discovered basketball through the countless highlights of Stephen Curry humiliating players from Curry Land. And just like that, a fiery passion for the game was ignited within Tonoy. And soon after, he decided to become a student of journalism, graduating in 2022, and choosing sports as his area of interest. Today, you can find him spending 99% of his time browsing through every type of content on every team in the NBA, before uncorking everything he has found to the world. In the 1% he isn't doing this, you can find him playing Basketball, Football, Volleyball, or practically any other sport he has had the opportunity to learn.

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