Two-time NBA champion and former Golden State Warrior Kevin Durant mostly has been mum on his reasons for wanting out of Oakland. Details have been trickling out through reporters’ bits and drabs, however, and between the pieces is lots of space for talking heads and fans to fill with rumination.
But instead of focusing on what Durant was hoping to leave behind in Golden State, recent comments from Nets general manager Sean Marks offer a glimpse into what the back-to-back Finals MVP is hoping to find in Brooklyn.
In an interview with WFAN radio, Marks said his newly-signed superstar told him he chose Brooklyn because of his fondness for the Nets’ system (as transcribed by ESPN):
(He said) ‘I love the system. I love how you guys play. I see how hard you guys play. … You were never out of games. We could never take you guys lightly.’
Marks acknowledged Nets coach Kenny Atkinson for establishing the hard-nosed mode of play that Durant found attractive. But Atkinson will have to adjust to Durant’s prowess as much as Atkinson will have to adjust to having a talent like Durant on the court who knows the game as well as any coach out there.
