Kevin Durant still has plenty to offer.
Though Durant is stuck rehabbing from a ruptured Achilles tendon as his teammates embark on one of the most anticipated seasons in Nets history, coach Kenny Atkinson said the former MVP has been engaged while on the sideline during practices, sharing what he’s learned over the first 12 seasons of his Hall of Fame career.
“[We’re] just building that relationship. I’ll come over to him in practice, and ask, ‘What do you think of this? What’d you guys do in Golden State? What’d you do in Oklahoma City?’ You’re always having those dialogues,” Atkinson said following Monday’s practice. “He’s an observer. He’s watching everything. He’s very aware. You can see an awareness. He doesn’t say a lot, but when he says something, it makes you stand at attention.”
“He’s rehabbing courtside, he’s watching what we’re doing, walking around to our stations, encouraging guys, dialogue, it’s been a real nice balance. He’s been super present. It’s been really good so far.”
Kyrie Irving has played a similar role, while recovering from a facial fracture.
“He knows when to chime in and when to sit back,” Atkinson said of Irving. “He’s made a couple suggestions already, and I was like, ‘Yes.’ … When it comes from an All-Star, it carries a little more weight. I’m really impressed with his knowledge of the game.
“These guys are out on the battlefield. You have to get their feedback.”
Warriors general manager Bob Myers is grateful Durant could help bring Golden State two titles — and D’Angelo Russell.
During Monday’s media day in California, Myers spoke glowingly of Durant, who arrived in Brooklyn this summer via a sign-and-trade, which sent the Nets All-Star guard to Golden State.
“For that to happen … you got to get Brooklyn to cooperate and Kevin to cooperate in a four-hour window of time,” Myers told 95.7 The Game. “Brooklyn didn’t have to do it and Kevin didn’t have to do it. So when you have a situation like that and you are trying to hold all these things up, it’s very easy for somebody to say, ‘I’m tired of this, why would I do this?’
“The hardest part, to be honest, was [Russell] wanting to come. Not knowing that. For his situation, once Kyrie and Kevin said they were going there, he knew that his days there were done. So he was probably looking around the league. For him to say, ‘I want to go play there,’ that’s flattering for our organization.”
