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ESPN analyst and former NBA center Kendrick Perkins brought up Kevin Durant’s leadership abilities once again after the Phoenix Suns superstar called him out in a social media post.
“When I challenged KD to leadership, it’s not because he’s not the best player on the team,” Perkins explained Friday on NBA Today. “I’m wondering why can’t he bring the best out of those players, of what you’ve got right now, to try to make a late push.”
Perkins, who was teammates with Durant on the Oklahoma City Thunder, previously expressed his belief that he was the one leading the Thunder instead of Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.
The Suns star didn’t take his claim seriously, calling it “the craziest s–t I’ve seen this week” in a Thursday social media post.
While Perkins’ overall point regarding team leaders not necessarily being the highest-scoring players is certainly valid, Durant didn’t seem to think that it applied to his own leadership style in Oklahoma City.
Perkins’ latest comments also focus on the former MVP’s current tenure in Phoenix. While Durant has averaged 26.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game on 52.4/39.8/82.7 shooting splits, the Suns sit at No. 9 in the Western Conference standings with a 25-25 record.
Phoenix reportedly discussed moving Durant prior to Thursday’s trade deadline, but a deal didn’t materialize.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst revealed that the 36-year-old was “not happy” that the Suns put him into trade talks and it is now “reasonable to forecast that Durant will be breaking up” with Phoenix during the offseason.
As Durant’s reported frustration with his trade involvement combined with the Suns’ overall inconsistency continues, Perkins criticized his former teammate’s leadership again.
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