Houston Rockets And Kevin Durant has a tough task ahead of him Los Angeles Lakers City are coming in and trying to take a commanding 3-0 lead over them in their first round playoff series. So, all eyes will be on Durant and how he responds after one of the worst stretches of his NBA career.
LeBron James has dominated his way into this series, but the Lakers have got excellent, timely performances from Luke Kennard (27 points in Game 1) and Marcus Smart (25 points in Game 2).
Meanwhile, Kevin Durant only played in Game 2 and while he finished with a strong line in the contest, he had one of his worst outings leading to the Rockets' second straight loss.
The two-time NBA champion finished Game 2 with 23 points, six rebounds and four assists while shooting 7 of 12 from the field. But he had a career high with nine turnovers in the game, scoring only three points with five turnovers in the entire second half.
This was because the Lakers repeatedly used the tactic of double-teaming him, testing his decision-making abilities while forcing his Houston teammates to try to beat them.
But before Game 3, Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. was asked how the team can help Durant get involved offensively as he sees more and more double-teaming in the half-court. However, Smith's reaction to his partner's distress was quite surprising.
Jabari Smith Jr. gives surprising advice to Durant's double-teaming trap
Responding to reporters who asked him what could be done to assist Kevin Durant in light of facing double teams, Smith Jr. said:
“They try to stop him and other guys have to be aggressive, so we have to be aggressive with that.”
"We've got to study it right, make the right decisions. And it's on him to find ways to get himself involved and get to his spots without getting double-teamed."
But then, Jabari Smith Jr. essentially seemed to tell Durant to come up with a solution himself, causing fans to lose their minds on social media.
"Just because he's getting double-teamed, we still need him to be his KD, you know? There's still ways around it, and we've got some solutions [the trapping of Durant]And we’ll get better the next two games,” Smith Jr. said.
Basketball fans react to Smith Jr.'s KD advice
His comments brought a ton of reactions from fans, many of whom were reminded of Durant's recent chat about Jabari Smith.
"Kevin Durant you were the right guy," one fan said along with crying emojis and a screenshot of Durant's burner account DMs that surfaced during the NBA All-Star break.
Another fan said, "KD heard Jabari call him that and suddenly ankle injury pops up out of thin air lmao bro if you feel like that I'm leaving all y'all boys to die."
Reactions varied widely, with some opining that KD could not be blamed when his teammates were absent in action.
NBA reporter Brett Siegel said, "Not sure why Kevin Durant has a problem when his teammates can't catch the ball."
One fan commented, "Open shots bro. Fuck everything else."
Another fan wrote, "The chemistry on that team is worse than the Lakers in 2004."
Another fan said, "These guys' chemistry is in the gutter."
However, it will be interesting to see how Kevin Durant Finds a solution to avoid these double teams. Game 3 is scheduled for Friday night at 5 PM PST, and it will be the Rockets' last stand before the series wraps up.
