Charles Barkley knows that Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets has played with multiple star-studded backcourt throughout his NBA career.
He won two championships with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on the Golden State Warriors, and now he’ll hoop alongside James Harden and Kyrie Irving with the Brooklyn Nets.
When discussing the Harden trade on TNT on Thursday, analyst Charles Barkley dropped a new nickname for Brooklyn’s backcourt.
“KD went from the Splash Brothers to the Dribble Brothers,” Barkley cracked.
Chuck’s comments are referencing the stark contrast — and related chemistry concerns — that comes with pairing two of the league’s most ball-dominant players with a gifted scorer and iso machine like Kevin Durant.
Curry, Thompson, and Durant’s ability to play off-ball as elite catch-and-shoot specialists enabled the Warriors to produce an unstoppable, cohesive offensive attack. In 2016-17, Kevin Durant’s first season in the Bay Area, the Warriors finished with a historically good offensive rating of 116.3 before rolling through the postseason. Golden State’s offense remained elite for the following two seasons, resulting in another title and Finals appearance.
Harden and Irving’s shared prowess with the ball has resulted in sky-high usage rates for multiple seasons, and their ability to individually break down defenders is one of the signature elements of their games. Whether Irving will embrace a third-banana role — and show up to work — is another concern, too, related to Kevin Durant.
Earlier on Thursday, Nets GM Sean Marks sought to quell the worries of Barkley and others about the three stars meshing, with Kevin Durant in the mix.
Sean Marks says James Harden has said he’s all about winning as it pertains to usage rate and sharing the ball. Marks said Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant all agreed sacrifice is necessary to win big.
— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) January 14, 2021
The 7-6 Nets, whose season was already disrupted by Kevin Durant having to quarantine for a period of time, are still without Irving, who has missed the last five games for “personal reasons” and is being investigated for violating the league’s health and safety protocols.
Harden should make his Nets debut on Saturday, against the Orlando Magic. Kevin Durant, meanwhile, looks to have regained his MVP-caliber form since returning from an Achilles injury. Through nine games, KD has averaged 29.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.8 assists on red hot .537/.462/.859 shooting splits.
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