Kevin Durant emasculates Emmanuel Acho for hare-brained Jayson Tatum take

When Emmanuel Acho attempted to undermine Jayson Tatum and his importance to the Celtics, Kevin Durant wasn't having it.

Kevin Durant emasculates Emmanuel Acho for hare-brained Jayson Tatum take

Emmanuel Acho, Kevin Durant (Image via Firstsportz)

Jayson Tatum and Kevin Durant both have a lot in common. Both were polished, accomplished college products who have established their own legacies early on. Both have made deep playoff runs on their own strengths as well as on superteams. The two have a similar physical profile and scouting report. And besides winning a pair of Olympic gold medals, the two have also suffered debilitating Achilles tears.

Kevin Durant has long tipped Jayson Tatum as the future of American basketball. The Suns superstar has always been one to praise his peers in the league, and Tatum has been one of his foremost recipients. This soft spot was on full display after Durant took to Twitter/X in response to an ill-informed sports take segment.

Emmanuel Acho took to the stage on the FS1 show Speak and attempted to argue that the Celtics were better off without Tatum on the floor. In his eyes, what the Celtics did in game 5 with Jaylen Brown as the point forward was a solid blueprint.

But he failed to understand how Tatum’s dynamism on both sides gets the Celtics going and makes them perennial contenders. His segment, on the whole, showed a lack of understanding of Tatum’s versatility. He can be the point guard on offense while guarding centers on defense, and a Jack-of-all-trades in the best sense of the word. Tatum is undoubtedly the most complete NBA player with the fewest weaknesses today.

Durant was not prepared to let this flawed, hot take from Acho slide without defending his mentee. The four-time scoring champion has always stood up for his peers and competitors. He’s had playoff duels with Tatum that have shown how close the two of them are in playing style and effectiveness. Durant flamed Acho with a gloves-off approach, completely destroying his credibility as an analyst:

“Hot take artist have ruined the sport. Football guys, no disrespect but yall boys need to stay In ya lanes, u don’t know what it’s like it between these lines man give it a break. Dudes who quit football early to pursue media talkin mental toughness, cut it out.”

Kevin Durant is on a streak of stating his truth on social media

One of the most admirable qualities about Durant is his willingness and openness to engaging with fans on social media. The man pops up online, ready to talk ball whenever he feels he could do with some entertainment. Durant has had a number of memorable exchanges on Twitter/X over the years. Just this past night, Durant roasted an astrologer for attempting to interpret the Suns’ locker room issues through body language.

Although Durant has always been an enthusiastic social media s**tposter, his recent streak has been nothing short of landmark. It is very rare for a top player, an all-time great in his sport, to be this open. Durant’s propensity to be a Twitter troll also allows him to push back on narratives that could fester in mainstream media. He has spoken out in response to even legends like Charles Barkley in the past.

Durant also strives to establish his own version of events consistently by engaging with fans. It is always more legitimate to hear about strategies and insider insights from the source than via reporters. Given his love for engaging with fans, we can look forward to his forays into media after retirement with eagerness.

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