The 2018 Golden State Warriors team were a formidable force to reckon with in the NBA. Consisting of stars like Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson and others, they went on to win the championship that season. However, former NBA players Nick Young and Kenyon Martin are locked in a debate over how good that team was.
The two veterans were speaking on Gilbert Arenas‘ podcast recently, where they discussed the 2018 Warriors team. When asked whether the 2018 Warriors were the best ever assembled, they both argued with differing views.
Ain’t nobody beating Steph and KD together, I don’t see it. And when you got Klay, West, you got Shaun Livingston in it, Iguodala, myself…
Nick Young said
But Martin quickly disagreed with his assertion and retorted.
The 2001, 02/03 version of Shaquille O’Neal, who the f*** is going to guard him from y’all team?… Who’s going to guard Shaq?
Kenyon Martin responded
The Golden State team back then was heavily star-studded and not many sides stood a chance against them. This was evident in the way they breezed to the NBA title, also winning the Pacific Division and Western Conference championships. It’s worth noting that Nick Young himself was a member of that 2018 team. Therefore, he would likely have an insider perspective into how in-depth the roster was, given his assertions.
Nonetheless, Kenyon Martin wasn’t moved a bit by their success that year. He debated the likelihood of anyone on the Warriors team effectively stopping a prime Shaquille O’Neal in games. Especially since the likes of Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher were Shaq’s teammates at the time. The way he sees it, the Warriors won’t get a chance against the 2002-03 Lakers team.
Kenyon Martin once roasted Lakers for putting LeBron James under pressure
Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers heavily relied on their superstar LeBron James in games. This is despite the age of the 4-time NBA champion, who is already 39. Their over-reliance on him quickly drew criticisms from former player Kenyon Martin who wasn’t happy about it.
In yet another episode of Gil’s Arena podcast, Martin called out the franchise’s management.
Management – all of y’all are at fault. For not making moves, for not getting him [LeBron] another scorer, for not getting another guy that can take some of that load off.
Kenyon Martin said
“Management…All of y’all are at fault. For not making moves, for not gettin’ [LeBron] another scorer, for not gettin’ another guy that can take some of that load off.”
Kenyon Martin says HIS truth about the Lakers pic.twitter.com/i4JDuBUcjz
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) March 7, 2024
Martin’s comments highlighted the problems the Lakers faced last season in squad depth. The team performed below expectations from fans and really struggled for rhythm and consistency in games. Despite all that, James still managed to average 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game.
