Steve Nash feels Kevin Durant is close to 100%: ‘Whether it’s 90 or 99, I don’t know’
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Kevin Durant wasn’t expected to be his old self right away — some don’t ever expect the Brooklyn Nets forward to get back to that level of play. But in his two preseason games, Durant moved around very well, especially on the offensive end. As much as he’s easily found areas in which he can improve, Brooklyn’s star has proven to everyone he’s at a high enough of a level that he and the Nets are going to put pressure on the entire NBA — not just the East.
But how close is Durant to actually being 100% his old self?
“This is tough for me to actually put a number on. It’s really hard. But he’s in the 90s, for sure. Whether it’s 90 or 99, I don’t know,” Nash said about Durant on a Zoom call with reporters Sunday. “But I keep trying to tell him that he’s got to give himself 15, 20 games before he starts judging himself. Sometimes, they say the amount of time you have off takes you that much time once you’re back to feel like yourself.
“He’s done absolutely everything we could ask, but there’s no way to finalize what he is, who he is post-injury without playing NBA games. You can’t recreate it, you can’t simulate it, and you can’t replace it. So he’s going to go through this process, play some games, and before long — if we’re fortunate enough with his health and all the things he’s put into this — he’s going to be 100% Kevin Durant, no question.”
The one area Nash feels Durant can improve is on the defensive end. While with the Golden State Warriors — where he worked with Nash quite a bit — Durant took major strides on that end of the floor.
Brooklyn’s head coach thinks Durant can be impactful on defense again, he just needs time.
“He’s capable of being an ‘A’ defender, but I don’t want to overburden him. He hasn’t played basketball for 18 months,” Nash said. “We want to continue to build his individual defense as he acclimates back to the demands of the NBA. And at the same time, we always want to improve collectively, so he does give us versatility.
“He’s so long and athletic and quick that he can cover pretty much anyone on the floor to a high level. But that’s something we have to be patient with. It’s a big change from playing pickup games, and recovering from an Achilles rupture — we can’t just expect his best out of the gates. We’ve got to give him time to adapt at both ends of the floor, but more so defensively.
“Let’s say he’s been playing basketball for 10 months-ish. You’re going to focus on offense when you’re in an informal environment. So now, it’s time for him to start building that defense back up — his footwork, positioning, understanding. He’s been great, improving every day. But that’s a tall ask to not play organized basketball for a long time. To defend is usually the last thing that comes.”
Durant’s first crack at a game that counts toward the standings comes on Tuesday when Brooklyn welcomes the Warriors to Barclays Center.
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