Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant could have become the greatest offensive duo in the history of the sport. Instead, both have on the receiving end of a lot of criticism. Many believe they couldn’t have achieved their rings without famous teammates. The Nets have greatly disappointed fans everywhere.

A team that was called favorites before this season ended up 7th in the Eastern Conference and ended their postseason getting swept by the Boston Celtics. Kyrie and Durant are the biggest stars of the team. Both of them couldn’t show up when it mattered and hence, opened themselves up to criticism.

Former NBA veteran and current analyst Kenny Smith spoke about this on the “All The Smoke” podcast. “There’s a couple of guys I never understood, like, and both Kyrie and Kevin,” Smith said.

“I didn’t understand them, I don’t know them well, but I didn’t understand them… I always loved them. Like, when they first came, everybody, I knew always talked great about it when they first came in the first five, six years. … And then it became like, ‘Everyone hates me. And I was like, no no no bro, nobody hates you, everybody loves you.”

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Kenny also said that they invite hate by saying that they are hated, which makes the former not understand them. The former Rockets player puts up Steph Curry as an example. He says, “Like, Steph Curry, his whole career, no one’s hating on him. They’re never gonna be like, ‘Oh, we hate Steph Curry.”

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving: An unsuccessful team up?

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving joined forces in 2019 for the Brooklyn Nets. Durant just came back from an injury while Kyrie wanted to move on from his torrid time in Boston.

When owner Joe Tsai bought them, the expectations were that they will make Brooklyn title contenders. Durant had won two titles and two Final MVPs with Golden State. Kyrie was still considered one of the best point guards in the league then.

Both of them can take hold of games when they are in full flow. But that has not come in clutch situations. Last post season, they got knocked out by eventual champions Milwaukee Bucks while this year; the Boston Celtics eliminated them.

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Now, both are facing a long offseason. Kyrie, especially, faces a situation where he can be traded because of last year’s “problems”. Hence, it will be interesting to see how Brooklyn treats them both in the coming months.