At this point in his career, Kevin Durant’s Achilles injury is undeniably a thing of the past. Prior to his return to the court, there were whispers about how much this potentially career-altering injury would affect the Brooklyn Nets superstar once he comes back. Well, KD has completely thrown that narrative out the window.
There’s no denying that Durant is a gifted individual. However, it’s not all about inherent s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 for the former league MVP. In a recent press conference, Nets general manager Sean Marks opened up about some of the major observations he’s noticed about Kevin Durant. Unsurprisingly, the high-ranking team executive had nothing but high praise for his cornerstone superstar:
“I don’t think I can put it into words. I haven’t seen many players like that,” said Marks, via Tom Dowd of NBA.com. “I was fortunate prior to my time in Brooklyn to be around some elite players being a journeyman. Watching Steve Nash, watching how he prepares for games and how he takes care of his body. Watching Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili and how competitive they are. Chris Paul. Kevin is like that. These guys want to master their craft. They don’t just want to be good, they want to be elite. You watch how Kevin approaches even a day like today where he’s been off for All-Star weekend.”
As Marks said, Durant is simply reaping the benefits of the hard work he puts in every single day. His work ethic is second to none and the amount of dedication he has for his craft is simply remarkable.
“I know we talk about this a lot but it’s something I have to say again. Every single rep is at game speed and that’s not easy to do,” Mark continued. “You or I do one or two reps at game speed we’re seeing a chiropractor. Kevin does it over and over again. We watch him in a game — and it would be great if you guys could see him behind the scenes — you see him in a game and I’ve only known him for a couple years now, you go, I’ve seen that move 2,000 times, and he does it every single practice and it transfers right to the court. Great lesson for the young guys out there.”
Repetition is key for Durant and he makes sure that he is able to prefect his moves before he busts them out on the basketball court. As Marks stated above, seeing KD during NBA games is impressive, to say the least. However, those who have the privilege to witness him putting in the work behind the scenes are blown away by Durant’s commitment to his cause.
Now is the time to put everything on the line for Kevin Durant. He’s already achieved so much throughout his decorated tenure in the league, but right now, he is faced with arguably the biggest challenge of his career. The Nets were widely considered as the favorites to win it all prior to the start of the 2021-22 season, but obviously, so much has changed from that point to today.
It’s absolutely true that so many factors will come into play for the Nets and their quest for an NBA title, but in the end, it will all boil down to one man: Kevin Durant.
