Nets Kevin Durant Dishes Praise to Bradley Beal, Wizards

After defeating the Washington Wizards on Monday night, Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant praised Bradley Beal and the Wizards' organization

Brooklyn Nets superstar forward Kevin Durant always holds a close eye on Washington D.C. sports. The P.G. county native is a long-time Washington Nationals fan and a Washington Commanders fan. 

Each time Durant plays under the Capital One Arena lights, he gets a warm welcome from his hometown crowd. After taking care of business against the Washington Wizards on Monday night, delivering 30 points, nine boards, and six assists in the win, he dished praise to Bradley Beal.  

"He's a Hall of Fame, All-Star player. To call him just a scorer is diminishing who he is," said Durant on Beal. "You take that away from your team, you try to figure out where that presence is going to be, that impact is going to be felt from."

Beal, who is the longest-tenured Wizard on the roster, did not play in the defeat to Brooklyn. He's been dealing with a right hamstring strain but his return is looming. The Wizards were also without Rui Hachimura and lost big Kristaps Porzingis in the second half. 

Washington, who is a relatively younger roster, has struggled to remain healthy in the last few seasons. In the eyes of Durant, he sees potential in the Wizards to make a good push once the team welcomes back a majority of their young talent and all are on the floor healthy. 

"You got Rui [Hachimura] hurt, [Kristaps] Porzingis was out the second half, so they've been hit with some injuries. It's felt like it's been like that for this team for the last couple of years," said Durant on the Wizards. "When they're all out on the court, they have a lot of talent. Once they put it all together, I know they'll go off on a run."