As the Nets prepare to make a push for a championship behind their now-healthy superstar trio, some fans have expressed concern about the team’s focus, particularly when it comes to their most crucial pieces.
With Brooklyn gearing up for a title run, superstar Kevin Durant is just a month removed from making his comments that winning championships weren’t his main focus, rather choosing to put his emphasis on development.
“Once I won a championship [with Golden State], I realized that, like, my view on this game is really about development,” Durant said in an interview with Rachel Nichols back in April. “Like, how good can I be? It’s not about, you know, let’s go get this championship. I appreciate that stuff and I want to win to experience that stuff, but it’s not the end-all, be-all of why I play the game.”
Then, just as the regular season was set to come to a close this past weekend, fellow superstar Kyrie Irving told reporters that his focus isn’t currently on basketball, rather on more important events going on around the globe.
“I’m not going to lie to you guys, a lot of stuff is going on in this world, and basketball is just not the most important thing to me right now,” Irving said. “There’s a lot of things going on overseas. All our people are still in bondage across the world, and there’s a lot of dehumanization going on.”
When asked by Moose & Maggie about his team’s focus heading into the playoffs, head coach Steve Nash didn’t hesitate: while he considers the mindsets of Durant and Irving to be healthy, he has never questioned their desire to win.
“When those guys come in the building every day, they work as hard and are as focused as anybody in the business,” Nash said. “So whatever their perspectives are are theirs and are warranted, and frankly, much of the time it’s healthy.”
Even Nash himself conceded that winning an NBA title isn’t everything, but that will be his team’s goal once the postseason begins on Saturday, and it’s already shown in the work ethic of stars like Durant and Irving.
“There is a lot more to life than winning championships,” Nash said. “That doesn’t mean that Kevin Durant doesn’t work as hard and tirelessly and prepare as much as anyone else in the game. Kyrie having thoughts about the world and the inequalities throughout it I think is really important and admirable. When he comes in, he does his work every day.”
Durant already knows what it takes to win a title, as does Irving, and choosing to also focus on development as a player or social justice issues is seen as healthy by Nash. Many Nets players, as well as others around the league, use their platform to call attention to inequality and work to make their presence known in the community, especially Irving. But regardless of how many days Irving takes away from the court for personal reasons, or what comments Durant makes about the importance of winning a title, Nash knows his stars will perform as such once the opening tip goes up.
“I think there’s a balance to be struck there in life,” Nash said. “I think there’s also room for a balance in a quest to win a championship, and we’re talking about two guys who have won. It’s not like they come in every day and are like ‘You know, I don’t feel like it today. I’d rather read the newspaper and search for something higher.’ When they go in, they are going to work, they’re preparing themselves to play, and they are doing it at a pace and intensity that warrants their greatness.”
Needless to say, when Irving, Durant and the Nets take the floor on Saturday, the last worry on Nash’s mind will be their focus level.
“I don’t think about that,” Nash said. “I don’t really worry about that. My job is to put them in a position to succeed and be their best, and find connectivity, so that’s what we do every day.”
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