Kevin Durant & James Harden Succeeded With Russell Westbrook

From 2009-12, Kevin Durant and James Harden were both members of the Oklahoma City Thunder and had a lot of success playing together with Russell Westbrook. This trio was one of the best in the league at the time and as a result, they made the playoffs all three years, winning the Western Conference once, but ultimately losing to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. 

James Harden and Kevin Durant were a fantastic one-two punch during their days with the Thunder and had a lot of success with a ball-dominant player like Russell Westbrook, so there is no reason they cannot adjust their games now to make their style of play work with Kyrie Irving. 

While Irving is also a ball-dominant player like Westbrook, he is not as selfish of a player and has had success in his career playing with other All-Star players. 

Not too long ago, Kyrie Irving was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers and was a part of their 2016 NBA Championship run with LeBron James and Kevin Love. At times, Irving took a back seat to Love and James, but stepped up when it mattered most and always got his opportunities to shine.

If Brooklyn is to be successful, he will have to be willing to step back into this type of role and not be as ball-dominant as he has been over the years. Early on in the season, before stepping away from the team, Kyrie and KD looked very comfortable playing with one-another out there on the court and there did not seem to be any problems in terms of who had the ball when. 

If all three of these guys can come together and create a trio similar to the likes of the one we saw back in the day in Oklahoma City, then there is no reason why the Brooklyn Nets won’t be successful. Kevin Durant and James Harden found success early in their careers with Russell Westbrook and they will definitely do the same with Kyrie Irving.