Kevin Durant Talks Criticism of NBA, 'We’re at the Peak of Basketball, in My Opinion'

Kevin Durant believes those criticizing the product the NBA is putting on the court could be missing out on the "beauty" of one of the best seasons in the sport's history.

“I think we’re at the peak of basketball, in my opinion," Durant told The Athletic's David Aldridge.

Durant continued: "I feel like the game is always going to evolve into something different. There’s going to be players that change the mindset of how to win a basketball game. Now, you see, I think the bigs are starting to come back around, where the most dominant bigs are the guys that you want to run an offense through and play off of. I just think the game is always evolving, and if you complain about it too much then you’re not going to see the beauty of what’s going on.

“Obviously, nothing’s perfect, and there’s going to be complaints from different sides, with people wanting to see it in different ways. But for the most part, you’re seeing the growth. You’re seeing the players get better. You see it through, what, the last six champions have been different. There’s going to be complaints across the board, but I think the game’s in a good place.”

Durant was on the last team to repeat, as the Golden State Warriors won it all in 2017 and '18. Since 2019, there have been six different winners: the Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Warriors, Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics.

Stephen Curry, star of the Warriors' most recent dynasty, similarly defended the game's "nuance" and "IQ" when speaking with Aldridge about recent criticism of the NBA.

“You know how it works," Curry said, per Aldridge. "Sometimes, a narrative starts, and everybody starts to kind of feed into it, not actually come in with an informed kind of perspective. And if you’re not watching from night to night to night, and you kind of swan-dive in and watch a game, you can say, ‘Oh, yeah, this is different than my dad’s, or my parents’ NBA.’

“Yeah, it’s evolved. (But) the nuance of the game is still there. IQ still matters.”

The NBA has been the subject of criticism over the last few seasons amid players' growing reliance on three-pointers.

The NBA will look to continue to dispel criticisms with a competitive postseason this spring, starting with the play-in tournament on April 15.