Sports

“What really kills KD and LeBron is not player empowerment”


Things are not good for LeBron James and Kevin Durant and their respective teams. Beginning of the season, LA Lakers and brooklyn network favorite to play for NBA title, but they currently hold tournament slots.

The two superstars played a key role in assembling the teams they believed could compete for the championship. But that hasn’t worked out well for either of them so far.

In Los Angeles (31-42), LeBron is filming monster performances but there isn’t enough output from his supporting cast.

It was the same in Brooklyn (38-35) for KD, who had to play with a disgruntled one James Harden and part time Kyrie Irving. (A change to New York City’s vaccine regulations on Thursday will allow Irving to become a full-time player. Harden is currently in Philadelphia after being redeemed. Ben Simmonswho hasn’t played this season.)

Sports analyst Nick Wright on “What’s Wright?” The podcast talked about the Lakers and Nets situation and there was a lot to blame. He believes both superstars put themselves in their current positions and have nothing to do with player empowerment.

“Both chose this situation,” says Wright. “So one could argue, well… the empowerment of players has cost them. I think that’s too narrow a view, because player empowerment is more than just a thing. brought LeBron to the Lakers, it was Anthony Davis to the Lakers, and they did win a title two seasons ago, so it worked for him there.

“Player empowerment not only brought KD to the Nets, but Kyrie (Irving) was there with him, and (James) Harden was there with him. And everyone but me thought that team was there. going to win a bunch of titles What really killed KD and LeBron wasn’t the player’s empowerment, it was that they chose the wrong point guard.

“LeBron picked Russell Westbrook, and that has sunk the Lakers this season even though Russ played better late in the game. And KD picked the least reliable star in the sport, Kyrie Irving.”

In the end, he said, both made the wrong choice despite having a big say in deciding who to play with. In James’ case, Wright believed that his ego and desire to achieve what no one else could equal Westbrook had put him and the Lakers in this precarious position.


Both LeBron James and Kevin Durant will have to secure their playoff spots through the play-in tournament

LeBron James is currently the league's top scorer.
LeBron James is currently the top scorer in the league.

The Nets are in a better position, as they are currently eighth in the Eastern Conference and can only play one play-in to secure a playoff spot. With Kyrie Irving returning to play full-time, the Nets’ chances of perhaps climbing to sixth – and avoiding games – have increased. But they’re still thin

Brooklyn has nine games left. Irving will be able to play all nine games (as opposed to just two before New York City’s restriction was lifted.) Still, the Nets are still 3.5 games behind sixth-placed Cleveland Cavaliers (41-31). .

The team ranked seventh Toronto Raptors (40-32) than Brooklyn by 2.5 games. If post-production begins today, Brooklyn will have to play in Toronto in the Seven-eighth Game. Under Canadian law, Irving cannot play in Toronto.

The winner of the Seven-eighth Game is seeded 7 in the knockout round and will face whoever wins for the 2nd seed, which can be any of the four teams. The loser has another chance, facing the winner in the Eight-seeded Game of Nine.

Brooklyn leads the Charlotte Hornets (37-36) by one game and the Atlanta Hawks (36-37) by two games. One slip could send the Nets into the Nine-Ten Game.

With the Lakers, they are in danger of being knocked out of the top 10. They are 9th in the West. But in 10th place are the New Orleans Pelicans (30-42) and the San Antonio Spurs (29-44) right behind. The Pels were half a game behind the Lakers and played them twice before the season ended. Spurs are two games back.

The Lakers are 4.5 games behind the eighth-placed LA Clippers (36-38), so it’s more likely they won’t be in the Seven-eighth game. In that case, they will have to win two play-ins to claim the 8th seed, who will likely face the Phoenix Suns (59-14).

It will be a difficult journey for both teams, but with the players of the caliber they have, both are far from established. James is currently the league’s top scorer, averaging 30.0 points per game. Meanwhile, KD averaged 29.7 ppg and would be a contender for the scoring title if he played as many games to qualify.


Edited by Joseph Schiefelbein





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