“You’re the face of this, and you’ve been deferential… The problem is that he clearly lets others off the hook” - Stephen A. Smith believes 2-time Finals MVP is a great player, but not a great leader

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith criticized Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant after the Boston Celtics swept Brooklyn on Monday.

On ESPN's "Get Up," Smith labeled Durant as a great player but a poor leader. The Nets superstar struggled in the first three games of the Eastern Conference first-round series. Smith said:

"Kevin Durant is one of the greatest players in NBA history, and I consider him to be the best player in the world today regardless of what just happened in this series. And I think exhaustion played a part, and I think we are going to learn he was a bit injured as well.

"As great as he is as a player, he is that poor as a leader. You’re the face of this, and you’ve been deferential, because you're deferring to your boy Kyrie. He's going to give you what he's got. The problem is that he clearly lets others off the hook."

KD and the Nets were swept by the Celtics in the franchise as Durant shot less than 38% from the field in this series and less than 34% from beyond the arc.

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Is Stephen A. Smith right to say that KD is the best player in the world?

KD in action against the Milwaukee Bucks

Widely considered to be the game's best player right now by people like Stephen A. Smith, Kevin Durant had an incredible season before injuring his knee. The January injury came at the worst possible time as Kyrie Irving had just returned as a part-time player. They missed a chance to 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 four triple-doubles and 18 double-doubles. These kinds of numbers are a testament to the sniper-like ability of the Slim Reaper.

Durant held the fort for Brooklyn with Irving unavailable and James Harden not fully healthy early in the season.

Durant had to carry the scoring burden, especially with Ben Simmons' hesitancy to shoot from outside the paint. However, Kyrie Irving can help take some of the load off as Irving is a bonafide scorer.

While the performances of KD and the Nets against the Celtics were awful, the franchise will once again rely on him next season to deliver a championship.