“As great as he is, there’s a cap to his talent” - Scottie Pippen once revealed his biggest criticism of Kevin Durant’s game

Back in 2021, Scottie Pippen said that the biggest criticism he had of current Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant’s game was that he wasn’t a team player. According to the six-time champion, KD doesn’t approach the game in a way that leads to his team’s overall success because he only maximizes his ability to score.

“ He needs to learn how to utilize his teams. He has to learn how to set up his teammates to be better. That’s it. As great as he is, there’s a [cap] to his [talent], ” Pippen told GQ’s Tyler R. Tynes.

“ KD can score better than LeBron, probably always have been able to. But has he surpassed LeBron? Naw. He tried to beat the Milwaukee Bucks instead of utilizing his team. You see what I’m saying? LeBron James would’ve figured out how to beat them and he wouldn’t have been exhausted and he may not have taken the last shot. But LeBron ain’t KD, and KD ain’t LeBron. KD is a shooter, a scorer. But he doesn’t have what LeBron has ,” Pippen added.

Pip with the massive shade

Pippen’s quotes on Durant came out right after the 2021 Playoffs semifinal series between the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks when the latter defeated Durant and Co. in seven games. The seven-time All-Star was extra excited to watch how the “Slim Reaper” would lead his team, especially since he no longer had the likes of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson by his side.

It turns out that the Hall of Famer concluded that KD’s skillset, for as talented as he is, doesn’t entirely translate to winning basketball because he depends entirely on his individual skill to take over a game—which, for Pippen, isn’t a formula for winning championships in the NBA.

“ A two-time MVP. In the Finals. [Laughs.] That’s good when you’ve got Steph Curry leading the troops. But when you’re leading the troops, you gotta know how to lead and win. And KD, as great as his offense was, it turned out to be his worst enemy because he didn’t know how to play team basketball when it came down to it. He kept trying to go punch for punch. They were beating him with Giannis [Antetokounmpo], [Khris] Middleton, and what’s the little guard name? Yeah, Jrue Holiday ,” Pippen added.

For context, Durant, who averaged 35.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per contest in 42.7 minutes in that seven-game series against the Bucks , had to carry the Nets without Kyrie Irving and James Harden — who suffered their own injuries during the same matchup.

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KD responded to Pip

Naturally, if there's anyone quick to catch wind of Pippen's comments, it's Durantula, who is famously active online. Rather than addressing the critique of his game, the two-time champion opted for a more petty response, bringing up two of Pip’s most infamous moments from his Bulls days.

Obviously, KD disagrees with what the retired forward said about his game and the achievements on his resume to prove that he’s a winning player. However, Scottie had the right to say his opinion, and whether the Bulls legend was right or wrong is up to one’s point of view in terms of how they consider a superstar who impacts winning basketball.

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