Kevin Durant’s struggles in the playoffs have become a major talking point, and Skip Bayless recently took aim at the Suns star for his team’s poor start to the series.
“He’s not the same player anymore,” Bayless said on the recent episode of UNDISPUTED. “He can’t dictate the outcome of a game all by himself anymore.”
Bayless pointed to Durant’s game seven performance against the Bucks from 2021 as an example of the player he used to be. However, the 72-year-old was disappointed by what he saw from KD in the Suns’ first two games against the Wolves.
“I expected him to be in the same form going against the Wolves,” Bayless said. “But he’s not that player anymore.”
Durant had 31 points with seven rebounds and an assist in game 1, which drastically dropped drastically in game 2 prompting this response from Bayless. The 35-year-old scored 18 points with six rebounds and two assists in 41 minutes of playing time in game 2.
Bayless’ criticism is valid, but it’s important to remember that Durant is going to be 36 in five months. He can’t be held to the same standards that once used to be a regular outing for him.
Durant’s decline in the postseason has been evident since the Nets’ series against the Boston Celtics in 2022. The Celtics’ defense, led by Jayson Tatum, laid out the blueprint for the rest of the league on how to restrict the otherworldly scorer.
In this year’s playoffs, KD is averaging 24.5 points per game which is the lowest in his career. To give him the benefit of his reputation, it’s only been two games and we never know when someone like KD can find that switch within and change the course of the season.
