Kevin Durant has considered the uproar over NBA players sitting out games. Now it’s his turn to talk about the subject.
The injured Golden State Warriors star opined Thursday on the debate over NBA teams resting players for regular-season games, telling ESPN he empathizes both with fans’ frustrations and his peers’ need for an occasional break.
“I understand what the fans are saying about buying tickets and not seeing their favorite players play,” Durant said, per ESPN’s Chris Haynes. “… As far as rest goes … I think mentally it does help when you get a day not to worry about basketball because we’re so consumed with the game 24/7.
Adam Silver recently alerted team owners over what has become “an extremely significant issue for our league” and advised them to assume greater roles in deciding when players sit out games.
Durant suggested the NBA commissioner is overreacting to the Golden State Warriors recently resting Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, and the Cleveland Cavaliers sitting LeBron James and Kyrie Irving this month. The Warriors and Cavs hope their stars will be fresher during the playoffs when they’re expected to contend for the NBA championship.
“The truth about it is, it’s only for a couple of players in the league,” Durant said. “They don’t care if the 13th man on the bench rests. It’s only for like LeBron (James), Steph (Curry), (James) Harden, Russell (Westbrook). It’s only for like five players. So you want a rule just for those five players?”
Teams won’t realize the payoff to resting stars for another two-plus months, so we don’t yet know how effective the tactic is.
For now, we can only conclude Durant is speaking some kind of hard truth.
Thumbnail photo via Mark D. Smith/USA TODAY Sports Images
