Through his eyes: Inside look on how Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant sees the game
SACRAMENTO — Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant sees the game through lenses that can instantly read the situation, make a quick decision and then execute it with a bucket or finding a teammate at an extremely high rate.
Having tremendous talent, skill, fundamentals and athleticism helps. Being nearly 7-feet tall with handles doesn’t hurt, but Durant thinks about the game as well as anyone that has ever played basketball.
The Republic sat down with Durant to go over four plays over a seven-game stretch to fully understand the reads, decisions and play execution — with his teammates chiming in on them.
Play 1: Durant finds Allen for transition dunk
Date: March 15, 2024
Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, N.C.
Opponent: Hornets (W, 107-96).
Situation: Durant grabs the defensive rebound and heads up court on the right side of the floor. He sees Grayson Allen and throws a crosscourt pass to him. Allen catches the pass and dribbles around Hornets forward Aleksej Pokuševski for a left handed dunk to get Phoenix a 17-16 lead with 3:25 left in the first quarter.
Durant: First read
“I’m initially looking for a kick ahead pass to see if we can get an early break. Once they miss the shot, transition pops in my mind. How can we get the fastest basket. I’m looking to kick ahead to my teammates as fast as I can or take it myself if I got the lane, but I’m looking for a layup or an open 3 more than anything.”
Durant: When he saw Allen
“See how they got four in front, one in the back and (Vasilije Micić) behind the ball. So I’m looking to see, somebody is open now. They’re off balance with their matchups. Somebody is going to be open. Grayson just happen to trail the play.”
Durant: Reading Davis Bertans
“He’s in bad position to get back in front of the play or set the defense. Try to kick it ahead early to somebody for a drive and if he didn’t have the drive, maybe a kickout to somebody else once they help off of him. Just take advantage of that four-man defense that they got with one guy behind the ball.”
Durant: What if?
“If Grant Williams helps off, then I drive and Book (Devin Booker) is open. Bertans, he helped a little bit too late. Would’ve hit E (Eric Gordon) if (Bertans) had come over earlier. Just kicking the ball ahead. We emphasize that.”
It’s one thing for Durant to read the play, but Allen must be ready for whatever he does to capitalize on what his teammate is seeing.
Allen: First read
“There’s one defender (Williams) on our side so I was expecting the crosscourt skip (pass from Durant) for a 2-on-1 (Booker and himself) and then (Pokuševski) tried to run at me late. So I saw him running and realized he couldn’t stop so I drove past him.”
Allen: Eye contact with Durant
“I think Kev looked over before he took one more dribble, but always when you’re running in transition, you’re chopping your feet right around the 3-point line to get ready for the pass.”
Micić is the last Hornets player to get back on defense. While it may appear he could make a play on the pass, Allen doesn’t think Micić was in position to deflect Durant’s crosscourt look.
As for Allen possibly finishing with his right hand, “Probably, but I wouldn’t have dunked it, though.”
Play 2: Durant passes Shaq on NBA all-time scoring list
Date: March 20, 2024.
Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix.
Opponent: 76ers (W, 115-102)
Situation: Durant is off the ball on the left side with Allen initiating the offense. With Kelly Oubre Jr. guarding him, Durant runs off Booker, then curls off a screen from 7-footer Jusuf Nurkic to pop open at the free throw line. Allen finds him with the pass and Durant hits a 17-footer to put Phoenix up, 64-52, with 10:22 left in the third quarter and pass Shaquille O’Neal for eighth on NBA all-time scoring list.
Durant: Another way to score
“I think as many times I can play off the ball and catch-and-shoot and keep the defense honest, the better.”
Durant: If Mo Bamba switches onto him?
“I probably would’ve backed it out or still iso from this spot or maybe throw it Nurk, who got the small on him, duck into the paint. Most likely throw it Nurk, who got the small on him and make them pay for switching the small guy on our big. Next time we run this play, they’ll be reluctant to do so and now I can come off that screen and get a little bit more freedom. The best way to play against switches is to kill them in the mismatches. Iso game, make them feel like those defenders can’t guard the ball one-on-one. That’s how you offset switches in that situation, but they already felt like they didn’t want to have Kelly Oubre on Nurk or Mo Bamba on me. They stayed with their matchups and tried to stay with their matchups and we was able to get play off.”
Allen fought off 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey’s pressure defense to keep the dribble alive so he could hit Durant off the screen.
Allen: On the pass
“Create space to make the pass. I knew I was going to have to pass it to the middle. That’s why I tried to bring him over to the left side to make room for it to be an easier pass at the free throw.”
Allen: If 76ers switch?
“Durant probably wouldn’t have been open at the free throw. Being Mamba is a center, Kev would’ve probably popped to the 3-point line and attacked him off the closeout. Drive it to either scorer or kick to the help comes.”
Durant had the scorers — Bradley Beal and Booker — to the right and left of him. This keeps the defense honest. Then add Nurkic setting the screen, this play is an ideal one for Durant to catch, shoot and score.
Nurkic: Timing of the screen
“OK, I look at where’s K. I can’t be there for more than two seconds, but when I see Kelly Oubre not look at me, he’s looking at Kev, all I need to do is find an angle where he can’t really go behind. My job is to make a trail, but Kevin just shoots over the top of people. If they’re late for a second or two, it’s over.”
Nurkic: If 76ers switch?
“Every game, you see they don’t really want to switch. They want to keep the matchup on Kevin. That’s probably the biggest advantage in this NBA. People don’t want to switch on KD. I could duck in, but usually I let Kevin play. It’s always an advantage.”
Play 3: Durant floater over Clint Capela
Date: March 21, 2024.
Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix.
Opponent: Hawks (W, 128-115)
Situation: Facing a zone defense, the Suns have Beal up top with Booker and Durant on the wings, Allen in the corner off Booker and Nurkic inside. Beal and Booker probe the zone before Beal swings the ball to Durant, who attacks the closeout from Hawks wing Vít Krejčí, drives to the paint and shoots a floater over center Clint Capela for two to give Phoenix a 115-106 lead with 5:56 left in the fourth quarter.
What is Beal reading?
“First, I was mad I didn’t catch-and-shoot it. (Dejounte Murray’s) hands are down. I’ve got to light that up, but they’re in a zone. We always want to dribble towards the double side where we have shooters. So you got D-Book and Grayson over here. If there in a zone, we want to screen the top (Nurkic comes up to screen Murray) and I get in the seam in the middle. So I’m forcing the big man (Capela) to make a decision. The big is guarding Nurk in a 2-3. So this top guy (Bogdan Bogdanović) has to think, OK, you going to stop or stop Book. Stop me, I throw it to Book. Now Book can either drive the seam or hit Grayson for a corner 3 or if I just keep driving, the big man has to make a decision.”
Beal continued by saying he didn’t drive the ball deep enough in looking for his shot.
“If I get in this paint, that’s a shot right there. Nobody is guarding that. Those are the things I’m like I have to be more aggressive. … Get in that paint, make them really collapse and if they don’t, shoot the ball.”
What is Booker reading?
“I’m thinking Brad is going to come off the step-up away from me. If he goes that way (to the right), I’m going to pull behind cause this low man (De’Andre Hunter) goes in. (Bogdanović) is supposed to drop a little bit, a split between the two of us. If Brad goes off that way, I’m pulling behind and try to make this rotation to clear there for (Bogdanović). So now that comes back towards me, it’s kind of tough. I would one more (pass) to the corner, but (Hunter) is stunting and falling. Now it’s just kick it back.”
The ball then swings from Booker to Beal to Durant, who drives past Krejčí and hits a floater he makes looks much easier than it is.
“That’s a tough shot,” Booker said. “That’s one hand from the hip. That’s tough. He’s 7-foot. I can’t see it like he can. You know what I’m saying. He’s 7-foot dude.”
Durant: Why floater instead of jumper?
“Once I beat him off the dribble here and get in position, I, just that one-two to get into it. Almost like I hop into a jumper. It’s kind of tough to get that other hand on the ball when I’m going up like that to shoot a jump shot. My momentum is pushing me right into that floater. It takes less time for me to shoot a floater as opposed to getting my other hand up to go to a jump shot. I think that split second of time, I didn’t have to hold my form a little bit more to keep the ball. I was able to get that shot off over a taller guy (Capela). If I raise up for a jump shot, maybe I’d have to fade.”
Play 4: Durant drives, draws, finds Eubanks for dunk
Date: March 27, 2024.
Location: Ball Arena, Denver.
Opponent: Nuggets (W, 104-97).
Situation: After running screen and roll with Booker, Suns big Drew Eubanks receives a left-handed bounce pass from Booker at free throw line. Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon comes off Durant, who was at the 3-point line, to guard Eubanks while center Nikola Jokic stays in the paint. Eubanks finds Durant and Gordon reacts by trying to closeout on Durant. Seeing Gordon off balance, Durant drives baseline with his off left-handed dribble. When Jokic comes over to help, Durant finds a cutting Eubanks for a dunk to put Phoenix ahead, 63-56, with 10:16 left in the third quarter.
Durant: What is he reading?
“Playing off the closeout. We get two on the ball like that. (Eubanks) plays in the pocket. Now you got this guy (Gordon) closing out and that’s tough to guard. It don’t even matter who that is on that side if a guy is catching it and driving at you hard. I didn’t try to settle for a jump shot. I knew he was going to fly at me. Drive towards the rim.”
Durant: Film study on Jokic
“I know Jokic is going to come over and help. He always does that. Tried to make that direct pass.”
Eubanks: What is he reading?
“Initially, a screen. Jokic is in a drop. Book’s trying to hit the pocket where we have an advantage on this side. Hits the pocket. My first read when I get the catch is this guy (Reggie Jackson) cut around the corner, can I throw a lob (to Beal on the opposite side). Probably not going to go for a lob. Maybe a bounce pass. (Gordon) steps up to take me, which leaves K wide open. So I kick it to K.”
Eubanks: Space the floor
“(Durant) doesn’t have the shot. Re-drive. He goes baseline so then I would space to the dots to create an angle for the pass. Jokic would then have to help in cause AG is on a closeout, which leaves me wide open. KD does a good job of finding me.”
Eubanks wondered if Durant was going to pull up for his patent jump shot, but he stayed ready for the pass.
“Most of the time, that’s what he’s going to do just because he’s going to get to his spot,” Eubanks said. “Him shooting his mid-rangers is as good as anything we can get, but one thing (Suns coach Frank Vogel) has been harping on is trying to get everybody involved. If I space to the right spot, it’s up to them to make the read on whether to pass it to me or not.”
Durant: Eubanks powers through Jokic foul
“Drew made a great finish. The Joker is great with his hands, swiping the ball and he palmed that ball and finished over the top.”
Eubanks: Did he feel Durant love tap to back of his head?
“At the time, no (laughs). I think I was pumped up. I didn’t feel it, but looking back at it, I didn’t know he did that. He’s been good about getting everybody involved and cheering guys on. That’s pretty cool.”
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kevin Durant breaks down reads on historic bucket this season, passes
