NBA Finals: Is Kevin Durant's legacy in doubt? Questions arise as Warriors take on Celtics

Kevin Durant is widely regarded as among the greatest of his generation, while also being considered one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. The 33-year-old is currently with the Brooklyn Nets, who were swept 4-0 by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Nets star has two NBA championships under his belt, both won during his time with the Golden State Warriors. In 2016, the former Oklahoma City Thunder cager's decision to join a championship winning team has been criticised - questioning his ability to win a championship without the likes of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

Durant left the Warriors in 2019 via free agency to join Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn. And Charles Barkley feels the Dubs making the NBA Finals yet again in 2022 without Durant, hurts the small forward's legacy in the game. The Nets were dubbed as one of the title favourites, but failed to deliver in the last two campaigns.

"You know it has an effect on his legacy," Barkley said, as quoted on Fadeaway World. "If you go back and look, and I talked about it on the [TNT] show, LeBron has said it before — he said, 'I had to win a championship without Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.' And Kobe's said it before, Rest in Peace, 'I've got to win a championship without Shaq.'"

"So Kevin and Kyrie [Irving], before we elevate them among the old guys, they're not going to get the credit they deserve until they win a championship by themselves and be The Guy," he added.

The Nets have added Ben Simmons to their roster, and Durant will be hoping that the team will find more chemistry next season and make a deeper run in the post-season. There is no doubt that the veteran forward will cement his legacy if he wins a ring being the team leader.

It was clear that he was not considered "The Guy" even during his time with the Warriors after Green took a jab at him after Game 2 of the 2022 NBA Finals. The Dubs beat the Celtics 107-88, and after which the former Defensive Player of the Year suggested that even during Durant's time with the team, the offense always started with "Steph".