“I believe in KD, I have nothing else to say” - Stephen A. Smith believes Kevin Durant is the best player on the planet after leading the Nets to the playoffs

NBA and Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant has been hailed as the best player in the world by many as the Nets forward has the performances to back up this claim as well.

On ESPN's morning show First Take, sports media personality Stephen A. Smith spoke about how he believes Durant is the best player in the world after the Nets superstar led the team to the postseason. Smith said:

"Kevin Durant is the best basketball player on the planet Earth. He's the best in the world in my mind and when he says something like that, he would know. So, this is Tatum and Brown's chance, its just that, I believe in KD, I have nothing else to say. Their defense is shaky and their second unit is not good. It's going to come down to KD and I believe in that brother."

Stephen A. Smith is initially talking about how Bruce Brown paid respect to Robert Williams III and pointed out how his absence is a huge blow for the Celtics. However, Durant didn't seem to think that in his post-game presser.

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How important is Kevin Durant to the Brooklyn Nets?

KD in action against the Milwaukee Bucks

Widely considered to be the game's best player right now, Kevin Durant had an incredible season for the Nets before injuring his knee. The knock came at the worst possible time as the Nets gathered steam, especially with Kyrie Irving's return as a part-time player earlier this season. That would have helped the team as they tried to re-establish chemistry.

Durant finished the regular season averaging 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.4 assists while shooting 38.3% from beyond the arc and 51.8% overall. He has recorded four triple-doubles and 18 double-doubles. These kind of numbers are a testament to the sniper-like ability of the Slim Reaper from the outside and inside the arc.

Durant held the fort for Brooklyn with Irving unavailable and James Harden not fully healthy early in the season. On top of all that, Durant suffered a catastrophic Achilles injury during the 2019 NBA Finals. That sidelined him for more than a year.

Durant will have to carry the majority of the scoring burden, especially with Ben Simmons' hesitancy to shoot from outside the paint. However, having Kyrie Irving available for home games will help take some load off his shoulder as Irving is a bonafide scorer and can go for 50 points on any given night.

However, as valuable as Simmons and Irving are to the Nets, the team's championship aspirations depend on Durant's health and effectiveness as he is the number one option on the team and can take over at anytime and finish the game off, especially in the fourth quarter.