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Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant is all too familiar with Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry. Durant won back-to-back titles with Curry during his time with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018. And many would argue if not for a catastrophic storm of injuries in the 2019 playoffs, the Warriors could have secured the NBA’s first three-peat since the Kobe and Shaq Lakers did it from 2000-2002.
The Warriors’ storied backcourt of Curry and Klay Thompson is typically incomparable. Steph Curry is the best shooter of all time and Thompson is not too far behind him. But Durant believes something is stewing in the Western Conference with Sacramento Kings sharpshooter Kevin Huerter. During the latest episode of his podcast “The ETCs” Durant compared Huerter to Thompson and Curry.
“Kevin Huerter, right now, he’s playing like Klay [Thompson], Steph [Curry],” Durant said on the November 22 episode of “The ETCs”. “The way he’s coming off the hand-off and shooting the basketball right now … if you’re not a basketball fan and locked in on the league, you’ve got to watch how Kevin Huerter is shooting this ball right now.”
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Loss to Kings Led to Controversial Durant Interview
Huerter is statistically having the best season of his young career. Per NBC Sports Bay Area, he is averaging 16.6 points per game on 49.5 percent shooting from downtown. But you could argue that Durant’s perspective of the Kings’ sharpshooter is based on recency bias.
Last week, Sacramento handed the Nets one of the worst losses in franchise history, putting up a whopping 153 points in a 32-point win over Brooklyn. It was the same loss which triggered Durant to call out his teammates in an interview with Chris B. Haynes of Bleacher Report.
“Look at our starting lineup. Edmond Sumner, Royce O’Neale, Joe Harris, [Nic] Claxton, and me. It’s not disrespect, but what are you expecting from that group?” Durant asked Haynes. “You expect us to win because I’m out there. So, if you’re watching from that lens, you’re expecting us to play well because No. 7 is out there.
Kings Get High Praise From Kevin Durant
The Kings have been infamously known for being underachievers for the better part of the last two decades. And when the front office decided to trade rising star Tyrese Haliburton at last year’s deadline and still missed the playoffs for a 15th consecutive season, there was uncertainty about their future.
But this season, the Kings have become one of the surprises of the NBA. After a 10-7 start, they sit in 5th place in the Eastern Conference standings. There is something different about this year’s Kings team, and Durant knows it.
“That’s a tough team for anybody in the league. I don’t care if you’re the Boston Celtics or you got the worst record in the league,” Durant said on the ETCs.
“You can’t really switch anyone on to [Domantas] Sabonis because he’s too strong. That throws off a lot of your defense. Then you’ve got De’Aaron Fox coming downhill at you all game. Harrison Barnes who can get a bucket over anybody in isolation situations. Keegan Murray, he’s playing like Michael Porter Jr. the way he’s 6-foot-9, catching and shooting like that.”
The Nets have a chance to get to .500 for just the second time this season when they take on the Indiana Pacers in their next game.
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