Kevin Durant knows the NBA scene as well as anyone, and he knows his former teammate Russell Westbrook better than most. Durant is disheartened that the criticism of Westbrook has, in his opinion, gone too far.
While he understands that criticism based on failure to meet expectations is part of the game — it happened to his Nets last year, Durant says — he thinks that now people are making Westbrook the “butt of jokes” and that it’s another sign of the toxic environment around the NBA game.
.@KDTrey5 on the criticism Russell Westbrook has been receiving:
— Boardroom (@boardroom) October 18, 2022
"It's like now you're making him the butt of your jokes. … The dialog around our game is just so toxic at this point. I get criticism [on the court], but it's starting to turn into something else right now." pic.twitter.com/jRd8bs5eFS
Durant hopes Westbrook just “keeps hooping” and is able to “block out the noise” — a tall order, but one an NBA star in a spotlight needs to deliver for himself. Ever the competitor, Durant does note that he hopes the Lakers play poorly against his team, but otherwise he wants Westbrook to thrive.