Let's make life easier for Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets while they try and overcome an 0-2 deficit to the Boston Celtics.
There’s not a single time in Kevin Durant’s career where I’ve felt like he can be shut down in a playoff series. The Boston Celtics have done a damn good job, however, of making his beautiful offensive game feel like sandpaper.
Durant is shooting 31.7 percent from the field overall, 28.6 from three, and averaging six turnovers in these first two games. He put up a clunker in the second half of game two, going 0-10 from the field with four turnovers. Okay, fine. Not every superstar will play perfect and I will tend to give the benefit of the doubt to Durant. He’s a two-time champion, winning finals MVP both times. There’s always a sense of belief that surrounds Durant, and it’s hard to count him out of any series. How can Brooklyn get him back to the unstoppable offensive machine we know?
Off-Ball Screens
Head Coach Steve Nash’s offense isn’t very complex. He relies heavily on Durant and guard Kyrie Irving to do the heavy lifting on offense by beating their defenders one-on-one. The problem for Durant is, Boston has long-arm wings that can defend and stay with Durant consistently.
Getting Durant free is essential. Having whatever center Brooklyn is playing on the court screen for him near the paint that would allow him to catch the ball closer to the rim would be beneficial for their struggling offense. From there, Durant can post up and find his shot or find a cutter, or kick it out for three. None of his ten field goal attempts in the second half of game two came inside the paint, so getting him anywhere close would be a positive step.
Being the Screener
Let’s get rid of those long-arm wings for a possession.
Setting screens near the top of the key for Irving or any other guard is simple, and forcing a smaller Boston defender to guard him gives Durant a multitude of options. He can simply shoot over those guards, or if a double comes, find the open man. You don’t have to run a pick-and-roll like this every possession if you’re Nash, but if it’s at a point in the game where you just need a bucket, keeping it simple and finding a mismatch usually leads to good things happening.
Quick Decisions
What’s been so unusual of Durant is his six turnovers per game, and it’s usually come from holding the ball too long. No matter how he gets the ball in his hands, I’d love for Durant to make quicker decisions, as Boston has all five defenders looking at him. This means no more than three seconds once he touches the ball, a shot or pass is up. Durant’s teammates aren’t left off the hook for his struggles either. They usually try and space out for him to isolate, but right now, he needs cutters to the rim which can open up three-point shooters.
Point guard Ben Simmons is close to a return, possibly in game four, but for his return to mean anything in terms of this season, game three is a must win for Durant and the Brooklyn Nets.
JB Sports Talk 