In order to eke out a two-point win over the crosstown Knicks on November 30, the Brooklyn Nets needed a big night from Kevin Durant. Not just in terms of scoring points, either; more than anything, the 11-time NBA All-Star just had to be out on the floor, keeping things rolling.
As a result, Durant logged 41 minutes of action in the contest. It was the second-straight game in which KD spent 40 or more minutes on the court — he got up to 45 against the Suns three days earlier.
That feels like some extreme usage for a star player in his mid-30s with a significant injury history. However, if you ask Nets coach Steve Nash, it’s how things have to be if the club hopes to remain at the top of the Eastern Conference pack.
“I don’t know what options we have other than to play him less and lose more,” Nash said, via Nets Daily’s Matt Brooks.
Durant wouldn’t have it any other way, either.
Durant: ‘I Want to Play 48 Minutes’
Kevin Durant talks about logging more minutes this season
“I’m a basketball player. I enjoy to play. I want to play 48 minutes…I’m sure for the rest of the season, I’m going to try to sneak some of those 40+ minute games in ’cause s–t, I like being out there”
In the aftermath of the Nets’ latest win, Durant was asked for his opinion on playing so many minutes. And his answer made it clear that he thrives on pushing the limits of what he can do (and how long he can do it for).
“I’m a basketball player. I enjoy to play. Like, I want to play 48 minutes,” Durant declared.
“That’s just what it is. I know a lot of people — I don’t even know if they’re concerned or not — I just think that’s a conversation to have. Like, I’m playing more minutes and I’m coming off of injury and all this other stuff. But I like to play. If I can convince coach to play me the whole second half sometimes or put me in earlier in quarters, I’m going to do it every game.”
His reasoning for being so willing to take on the challenge of a heavy workload makes sense, too. Particularly for a player so much closer to the end of his career than the beginning. Said Durant, “My basketball life is not that long, so I’m going to get the most out of it.”
In other words, look for the trend to continue for as long as Nash allows it.
“I’m going to try to sneak some of those 40-plus minute games in ’cause s***, I like being out there”
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The Nets Have Been Way Better When KD Works Overtime
Nash isn’t wrong when he talks about the necessity of getting as much as he can out of KD to keep things on a winning track. As of this writing, Brooklyn is just 4-3 in games where Durant played 35 or fewer minutes.
Conversely, the club is 10-3 when he’s been on the hardwood for 36-plus.
This wasn’t the case previously when the team had James Harden and/or Kyrie Irving to lean on. However, the former is still working to regain the form fans have come to expect from him after a poor start. Meanwhile, Irving’s holdout/protest against New York City’s vaccine mandate rages on with no end in sight.
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Nets Star Revels in Extreme Usage: ‘S***, I Like Being Out There!’