Durant formed a super team many times after leaving the Warriors, but he did not lead the team to win the championship

On June 17, Kevin Durant's career trajectory after leaving the Golden State Warriors is the most topical "super team experiment" in the NBA. The all-time scorer was violently shaking when he chose to part ways with the Warriors in the summer of 2019. However, it is sad that although he has formed a luxurious lineup with amazing paper strength in the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns, he has never been able to win the championship again as an absolute core. Among them, the disintegration of the three Nets' giants in 2021 has become the most regrettable "if" proposition in recent years.

**Brooklyn's gamble and natural disasters**

When Durant joined the Nets with Kyrie Irving, the New York media used "Picasso in the basketball world" to describe the artistic nature of the pair. The joining of James Harden in 2021 has made this team reach a theoretical perfect form - the three MVP-level players who are in their own age each perform their duties: Durant's unsolved singles, Irving's gorgeous attack, Harden's system organization, and cooperate with high-quality shooters such as Joe Harris to build a top offensive firepower in history. This season, the Nets' offensive efficiency reached 117.3, setting a record in the NBA. The winning rate of the three giants playing at the same time exceeded 80%.

But fate showed a hideous face in the 2021 playoffs. In the second round of the series against the Bucks, Irving suffered ankle sprain caused by Antetokounmpo's footrest, while Harden forced his return with a second-degree hamstring strain. Durant scored 48 points in the tiebreak battle, including the "three-pointer on the toes" that recorded in history, dragged the game into overtime but failed. Medical experts later analyzed that if Irving stays healthy, the Nets' probability of advancing is as high as 87%. This "if" became the biggest turning point in Durant's career - the following year, Harden chose to leave because of dissatisfaction with Irving's refusal to get vaccinated, and the three giants were disintegrated before they reached their full strength.

**The Suns' secondary experiment and system dilemma**

After switching to the Suns in 2023, Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Bill formed the new three giants, and the management also traded to Nurkic to make up for the inside. But the problems exposed by this lineup are more obvious: Bill has been plagued by back injuries for a long time, Nurkic's movement speed is difficult to deal with modern basketball defense swaps, and 38-year-old Eric Gordon, as the main rotation, highlights the aging of the lineup. In the first round of the 2024 playoffs, the Suns were swept out by the Timberwolves. Behind Durant's average of 26.8 points per game is a assist rate of up to 41.7% - this means he is forced to attack more without the ball, and his best stand-up singles system is difficult to implement.

The famous tactical analyst Zach Lowe pointed out: "There is fundamental contradiction in the team building model that Durant chose. He needs to share the organizational pressure with the goal guard, but these stars need a lot of ball rights. During the Nets' period, at least Harden was a real point guard, and the Suns' Booker and Bill were essentially point guards. "This "buff" thinking of building a lineup has led to the team's chemical reactions not reaching the smoothness of the Warriors' period. Comparative reflections between

** and the Warriors system**

Looking back at Durant's two-year championship in the Warriors, his success is based on nearly perfect system adaptability. Curry's historically unball-free force creates singles space for Durant, and Zhu Meng Green's defensive strategy should make up for his organizational shortcomings. Klay Thompson's 3D attributes allow no compromise on the offensive end. ESPN statistics reveal that Durant's assist rate during the Warriors reached 63.2%, far higher than the Nets' 51.4% and the Suns' 46.8% in the Nets' period. This lack of system bonus makes it difficult for him to lead the team in the later stage to break through the ceiling.

The deeper problem lies in the philosophy of team building. Warriors management Miles once revealed: "Before we signed Durant, we had spent five years to build an offensive and defensive system." The teaming logic of the Nets and Suns is to gather stars first and then make up for the role players. In 2021, the Nets paid a luxury tax of 106 million yuan, but only 6 people were able to rotate. In 2024, the Suns exhausted draft picks for the Big Three, resulting in a weak lineup depth. Durant admitted on the podcast: "Sometimes too much talent requires more complex allocation, which is not my expertise. "

**The subtle influence of historical status**

These setbacks are reshaping Durant's historical evaluation. NBA legend Charles Barkley pointed out sharply: "If measured by the standards of leading the team, KD has never proved that it can improve the system like Curry and Jokic. "But there are different voices. Reggie Miller believes: "The injury in 2021 is force majeure, and the healthy Big Three could have established a dynasty. "This controversy itself may be the answer - Durant's technical ability is unquestionable, but as an absolute core team building choice, it exposes the general dilemma of top scorers transforming into team leaders.

Now 35-year-old Durant still maintains an average of 27+7+5 output per game, but the window period is closing. The basketball philosophy revealed by its experience may be more important than the champion: the success of a super team not only requires talent accumulation, but also system adaptation, health management and some luck. The Big Three of the Nets are like a glimpse. In addition to regrets, the fans also have eternal thoughts about the logic of modern basketball team building - when Durant was breathing heavily in that long overtime match in 2021, fate has proved that sometimes the distance is perfect, and it is really only half a shoe away.