Nets' Kevin Durant: 'I Love What We're Building' with Kyrie Irving, James Harden

The Brooklyn Nets have already undergone significant changes since Kevin Durant signed with the club in 2019. Head coach Kenny Atkinson was replaced by Steve Nash; Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert were moved to add James Harden and Blake Griffin; and LaMarcus Aldridge joined the fold via the buyout market. 

Now Durant feels the club is right where it needs to be for a run at long-term success. The small forward told ESPN's Rachel Nichols in a SportsCenter interview released Saturday that the positive vibes around the team are palpable. 

"I love what we're building," Durant said. "I think the culture and the spirit around the game is something we've tried to cultivate from Day 1. And everybody brings their part to it. Everybody is valued. From the starting guy to the last guy on the bench, we all value each other's input."

That input was vital over the last month as Durant sat on the sidelines nursing a hamstring injury and the Nets kept on producing wins. From Feb. 13 to April 5, Brooklyn went 17-4 without Durant.

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Durant believes that success comes down to the team culture in Brooklyn. 

"That's just the foundation. Whatever grows from that we'll be happy with. But I think we're setting that foundation up as a whole organization from [governor] Joe Tsai all the way down."

With the Nets holding onto first place in the Eastern Conference, it's hard to argue with how the team has come together. Whether or not Brooklyn is able to deliver in the postseason will go a long way toward showing if what it's building is sustainable.