Durant seeks a bigger challenge
It took one play for Kevin Durant to throw down a dunk. It took only a minute to collect an assist and a charge.
Considering this marked the first time in 552 days that Durant played in an NBA game after injuring his right Achilles tendon, the Brooklyn Nets could not help but marvel at what they just witnessed. The Nets’ 119-114 win over the Washington Wizards in their preseason opener Sunday might become forgettable. But Durant’s performance wasn’t after he finished with 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting and had three rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three turnovers in 24 minutes.
“It’s kind of remarkable he’s at the level he’s at,” Nets coach Steve Nash said. “It’s amazing. This is an injury that very few people have kind of conquered, so to speak. So for him to be able to be in this position, he’s done everything we could’ve asked.”
Still, Durant wants more. “I didn’t think I played great,” he maintained, and contended he only had “some solid moments.”
Durant won two NBA championships and two Finals MVPS in three Finals appearances with the Golden State Warriors before injuring his right Achilles in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals against Toronto. Less than a month later, Durant left for Brooklyn as a free agent.
Before his injury, Durant had cemented himself over the course of 12 seasons as one of the best scorers in the league because of his footwork, post-up moves and positional versatility.
He wants to put those skills to the test against the NBA’S best.
“I feel like I have to play against the best players in the league. Simply put, the top players at my position,” Durant said. “I want to see how I fare against them and switch out on the best point guards in the league. So it’s a matter of going through the season and seeing how I fare against the best players and the best defenses in the league. I feel confident about myself.”
Durant would like to match up against the likes of Lebron James, as he did in two Finals appearances when James played in Cleveland. Or Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who he’ll see in the Nets’ season opener in his first meeting against his former team.
Durant did not get best-on-best experience against the Wizards, who sat former teammate Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal for rest purposes. Instead, Durant used the preseason opener like all players do: to build rhythm, develop on-court chemistry and to break a sweat.
This game represented a benchmark in Durant’s return, a gauge on his continuous progress and marked his first time playing with close friend Kyrie Irving, who had 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, with four assists and one block in 17 minutes before sitting in the second half.
“I felt good. But I want to play at the highest level of basketball; the highest intensity of basketball,” Durant said.
“That’s not in preseason. But it was a good first step.”
Durant conceded he felt both “anxious” and “nervous” leading into Sunday’s game.
“I visualized this moment for so long – nine, 10 months of thinking about how I’ll be in the next stage of my career,” Durant said. “I felt like I was chomping at the bit. Especially when COVID hit, I was just so frustrated. I didn’t see when the season would start in the future. So I was just going through it. To go through this felt solid and I have to keep building on it.”
Durant formed a sturdy foundation as soon as the game began.
On the first play of the game, Durant drove from the perimeter, along the baseline and finished with a two-handed dunk. He canned mid-range jumpers along the baseline and in the post by using his sharp footwork and length. He stuffed an opponent at the rim and along the perimeter. He caught a cross-court pass from Irving and finished with a reverse layup. He even took a charge on Wizards forward Rui Hachimura.
“I’m definitely feeling it right now,” Durant admitted nearly 90 minutes later. But no matter.
Durant wanted to play a real NBA game. He also maintained confidence that his body no longer feels vulnerable.
“Running up and down the court and seeing how I feel right afterwards and the next day is definitely something on my mind,” Durant said. “I’m looking forward toward seeing how I feel in the morning. My body feels good right now. We’ll see how it goes going forward. I don’t envision anything happening or setting me back.”
Durant often smiled, joked with teammates and cherished his time on the court. That was not always the case his final season with Golden State, when he became frustrated with attention on his pending free agency, his blowup with Draymond Green and the continued criticism for leaving Oklahoma City in 2016 to join a star-studded Warriors team.
On Sunday, though, Durant appeared in a different place both mentally and physically.
“He brings a joy, a childlike joy and love for the game every day he comes to work,” said Nash, who also worked with Durant as a player development consultant with the Warriors. “It’s beautiful to see him out on the basketball court. I think the world missed him out there. I certainly did. So just to see him getting up and down, and that spirit and love and passion he has for the game, that’s the reason he’s out there after this devastating injury because he does have such a passionate play.”
But the Nets aren’t getting ahead of themselves.
“It’s so early that we’re not popping champagne yet” Nash mused following Durant’s return. That’s because, as Nash observed, the Nets are at “such a early stage of our development.”
For Durant, the next step of his comeback journey entails matching up with and beating the NBA’S best players.