The Phoenix Suns finished in seventh place in the Western Conference last year, but their superstar forward just compared them to the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Kevin Durant is amazing at basketball. An alien, even. Everywhere he goes, when healthy, he continues to dominate on both sides of the floor. But that doesn’t mean he’s not delusional.
Durant appeared on “Up & Adams” with Kay Adams on FanDuel TV, where he was asked to compare his Suns to one NFL team.
“I would say the Chiefs,” Durant explained to Adams. “Because we bring that championship mentality every day.”
Adams quickly pointed out that the Suns have never won an NBA Championship, while the Chiefs are searching for their third straight Super Bowl and currently have the best record in the NFL at 5-0. A more fitting comparison for Adams? The Buffalo Bills.
“No,” Durant said. “They’re known for getting there and then just losing. I don’t want to be one of those guys. I’d rather just go with the champs and take on that mentality.”
Nothing wrong with that mentality, and Durant’s Suns will certainly need it in a loaded Western Conference this upcoming season. Not to mention, what else was Durant supposed to say? Of course he was going to compare their squad to the defending champions. He couldn’t be brutally honest. Bottom line is, Durant understands how much pressure is on his squad to succeed in the playoffs this year.
If Durant is Patrick Mahomes, which is a moderately fair comparison, the Suns need Devin Booker and Bradley Beal to be some combination of Chris Jones and Travis Kelce.
No disrespect to Mike Budenholzer, but I’m not exactly sure he’s Andy Reid, either.
The Bills really are a more fitting comparison. Again, Durant could be Josh Allen. But outside of that? You can never really rely on the production from their supporting cast.
Really? Add the New York Jets as another comparison.
Durant, who just turned 36 in September, is no longer a spring chicken, similarly to Aaron Rodgers. He tried to assemble a super team with his old friends, and it just has not worked out quite yet.
It’s hard to believe that this will be Durant’s third year in Phoenix, even though he played just 8 games during the first season in 2023 after being traded from the Brooklyn Nets. If Phoenix struggles in the NBA Playoffs again, you have to imagine that the trio of Durant, Booker and Beal will be looked at long and hard. And for good reason.
If the Chiefs fall short of their third straight Lombardi, I’m not sure anybody is really looking at Mahomes, Kelce or Reid and pointing fingers and laughing the same way we will be at the Suns.
