Kevin Durant says he plays the game for development, not titles
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Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant wants to be the best version of himself on the court. If that leads to winning more titles, that's just fine with him.
Durant said his development — and not necessarily winning titles — is what drives him now. Durant made those comments during an interview with ESPN's Rachel Nichols on Saturday.
"And once I won a championship [with Golden State], I realized that, like, my view on this game is really about development. 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."
That doesn't mean Durant doesn't care about winning. He stated that he still wants to win. But that's not why he continues to play basketball.
Durant's Achilles injury may have contributed to his mindset. Durant said he had a lot of anxiety about how things would go when he returned to the court. After missing so much time, Durant said it's important to him to "be available for as long as I can. And we'll see what happens between the lines."
Kevin Durant has been excellent in return
Durant has missed some time with the Nets this season, but has performed like an All-Star when on the court. He's averaging 28.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists over 20 games with the Nets. Brooklyn is 36-16 on the season, and currently leads the Eastern Conference.
With Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving around, big things are expected from the Nets this season. If Durant can continue to be himself on the court, he might wind up with another title ... even if he isn't necessarily trying for one.
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