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“Obviously Our Players Aren’t as Good as..”: Kevin Durant Made Honest Admission on James Harden Trade in 2015

Published 11/19/2022, 1:50 PM EST

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Kevin Durant and his stint at Oklahoma City Thunder is fondly remembered by fans. He was an unstoppable force in the team and led them to the 2012 NBA finals alongside James Harden and Russell Westbrook. The departure of Harden following the 2012 NBA Finals hit the team hard and they failed to reach another final. And in 2015, Durant candidly spoke about what he felt.

Durant was asked about the problems of the Oklahoma side in 2015 and the 12-time All-Star didn’t hold back. The player reminded everyone of the lack of adaptation leading to the team’s downfall.

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Kevin Durant and his thoughts on the Thunder in 2015

Kevin Durant was a superstar at Oklahoma City Thunder. The player never dropped form, regardless of the departures of superstars. Durant was a star as he led scoring charts and won the MVP award in the 2013-14 season.

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In 2015, the superstar answered questions about his team’s downfall for the umpteenth time. Hence, Durant was candid when he explained what he thought of the matter. The player emphasized the fact that the players are paid to do their jobs and the dependency on teammates should be minimum. 

You gotta do your job, and you gotta trust that the front office is going to do their job. It’s hard, though. You know what I’m saying?” Durant said. He further added  “Because it’s like, sh*t, I want to win. Obviously, our players aren’t as good as, you know, than they were before. But you have to figure it out.” 

The 12-time All-Star was far away from giving excuses, as he mentioned that leaders need to lead with what they have.

Although Durant’s performances with the Thunder could hardly be complained about, he didn’t throw his teammates under the bus. The 12-time All-Star also mentioned that there will be better opponents and players, and the team has to adapt accordingly.

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The Thunder post-2012 final.

The Oklahoma City Thunder reached their first final under the new franchise in 2012. With players like James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Durant as the heart of the team. 

Watch This Story: From Michael Jordan vs Isiah Thomas to Lebron James vs Steph Curry Kevin Durant Russell Westbrook best NBA rivalries of all-time news 

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After the loss to LeBron James led Miami Heat, Harden decided to call it quits and moved to the Houston Rockets. Despite Durant’s MVP performances after that, the Thunder failed to reach another final.

 

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Written by:

Shankha Shuvra Das

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Shankha Shuvra Das is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He holds a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Economics and has extensive experience in freelance content creation, especially in the field of technology. Shankha's passion for covering the sport of basketball stems from his love for the NBA, which he has been following closely for several years now.
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Edited by:

Jayant Chhabra