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Legendary NBA Coach Revealed The Harsh Eventuality Of Preparing To Face Kevin Durant: “You Feel Like You’re Wasting Your Time Doing It”

Published 02/02/2022, 12:13 PM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

Kevin Durant has always been a lethal player and is considered a scoring machine. The way he has developed his game, he can score from anywhere on the court. Ever since his days at Oklahoma City Thunder, Durant has been a force to match with.

A lot of coaches do not like playing against Durant because his epic scoring ability makes it tough to defend him. No matter what defensive rotations or plays coaches draw up, Durant will always find a way to either shoot or drive to the rim.

Kevin Durant is a 6’10 Small Forward. However, the game he plays matches that of a Shooting Guard. He is a lethal two-way player who is quite literally good at every aspect of the game. Durant is extremely tall, however, he handles the ball like a well-trained point guard. His lean figure gives him the athleticism and speed that other tall players don’t possess.

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USA Today via Reuters

One of the legendary NBA coaches, Doc Rivers, shed light on how tough it actually is to defend Durant.

“He’s 7-feet tall, and he’s running around like a two-guard,” Doc Rivers said then. “He can handle the ball, he can take you off the dribble, he can post you up, he shoots over you. You can’t trap him because he sees right over you. I don’t think in the years that I’ve coached and played, there’s ever been a more difficult guy to prepare for. You feel like you’re wasting your time doing it.”

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Kevin Durant’s exceptional scoring ability

Doc Rivers was correct in summarizing Durant’s game in that fashion. These words coming from Doc Rivers are a testament to the truth. Doc Rivers has played against exceptional teams and exceptional players. He has been in the league since 1999 and was the coach of the Boston Celtics in their championship season.

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Doc Rivers has played against players like LeBron James, Paul Pierce, Tim Duncan, Stephen Curry, Shaquille O’Neal and so many more. Doc saying Durant is the toughest to guard shows the reality of Durant’s offensive capability.

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Durant won the scoring title when he was just 21 years old in 2010. He is the youngest ever to achieve this honor. Additionally, he went on to win another three scoring titles in 2011, 2012, and 2014. Soon after Durant shifted to Golden State Warriors, he also developed his defensive capabilities.

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Durant is one of the most efficient scorers in the league right now. The way he plays the game and handles himself on the court is magnificent. He is truly one of the greatest ever to play the sport.

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Written by:

Abhinav Bhalla

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Abhinav Bhalla is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He is a 5th year law student and has had a passion for Basketball and NBA since his early childhood. He has competed at school, university and national levels himself, and has a deep analytical appreciation for the sport.
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