Steve Kerr Speaks on Kevin Durant's Success With Nets: 'He's The Same Guy'
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It's been roughly three and a half years since Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr last coached Kevin Durant in the NBA. Despite Durant taking his talents to the Brooklyn Nets, his former coach has kept a close eye on him. Like many, Kerr doesn't see much change in Durant's play today.
“He's been one of the best players in the league for a decade. Maybe more. So he's just one of the great scorers of all-time, He's a phenomenal shooter, he can get any shot he wants. He's the same guy," said Kerr during Wednesday's pregame. "So he doesn't look any different to me now than he did a few years ago when he was playing with us."
Their time together in the bay area will always be highlighted by the back-to-back NBA championships (2017, 2018). Durant was named NBA Finals MVP in both championship runs and can certainly plan to have his No. 35 uniform lifted into the Chase Center rafters when his playing career comes to a close.
Throughout the first 32 games of the regular season, many Nets have praised the play of the cornerstone of the team. From head coach Jacque Vaughn and his superstar teammate Kyrie Irving to the end of the bench, almost everyone in the organization doesn't take his time in the borough for granted. The same goes for Kerr on a broader scale.
"I think the guys who are truly great, historic players, guys who will be remembered forever, like Kevin, like Steph [Curry], sometimes you take them for granted just cause they’re great every single night," Kerr stated. "So I know what Jacque [Vaughn] is saying. We expect Steph to be great every night. When I coached Kevin, I expected him to be great every night, and sometimes you need to stop and appreciate what you’re seeing because you’re looking at a couple of the greatest players of all time out there."
The Warriors' head coach saw from afar how much work Durant put into his Achilles rehab to get back to where he is today. The 34-year-old star departed Golden State months after suffering the injury. Kerr is happy Durant's all-time play hasn't diminished since returning from one of sport's most devastating injuries.
"Happy for him. Happy that he's healthy and playing well," said Kerr on Durant. "I'm happy for their team. This league is strange. There are teams up and down, and the one thing that you never wish on anybody is injuries. And it's best for all of us when the players are healthy and performing. It's what makes this a great product for our fans. So I'm really happy for all the guys with the Nets who are healthy now and playing."
Despite being on different coasts of the country, Kerr and Durant got the chance to work with each other in recent years. The two won gold together on Team USA during the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, which was played in the summer of 2021. The Warriors' head coach served as an assistant while the Nets superstar was the leader on the roster.
Kerr, who was named the head coach of Team USA last year, would love to have one more ride on the world's biggest stage with Durant in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. In fact, Durant is tied with Carmelo Anthony (three) for the most Olympic gold medals in Team USA history. Durant also won the gold in the FIBA World Cup in 2010.
"I know Grant [Hill] and Sean Ford have talked to him and I will most likely pull him aside tonight, so that would be nice," Kerr said. "He’s been so dominant with Team USA and he’s a guy who just loves to play, so we’re hoping he decides to keep going."
