Alright so here’s what went down today. Woke up thinking ’bout Durant’s game again, specifically how he sometimes struggles on defense. Decided to test how a regular dude like me could work on similar stuff.
Starting With Plain Observation
First thing, I re-watched Durant’s recent playoffs. Man, my eyes burned focusing. Noticed two things kept biting him:
- Lateral Movement: Quick guards blowing past him sideways like he’s glued to the court floor.
- Screen Navigation: Him looking lost as heck when big dudes set picks – gets stuck like tangled headphones.
Figured I should feel that pain myself. Hit the local YMCA court after lunch.
Attempting Quick Feet Drills
Started simple: just trying to slide side-to-side like guarding an imaginary speedy guard. Easy, right? Nope. Fifty sidesteps in, my legs screamed. Kept crossing feet awkwardly – nearly tripped over my own sneakers twice. Embarrassing stuff. Measured my speed: Felt like moving through quicksand.
Got a buddy to wave his arms randomly while I shuffled. Couldn’t keep balance reacting to his hands. Felt like a wobbly baby giraffe learning to walk.
The Screen Nightmare Experiment
Here comes the cringe. Had my friend act as screener. First time he brushed me… BOOM. I went flying like got shoved by a bus. Couldn’t squeeze through gaps – hips felt locked tight. When trying to go over screens, lost sight of imaginary ball handler instantly.
Tried ten reps. Failed ten reps. Seriously wanted kick the ball into orbit.
Tiny Adjustments & Reality Check
Switched strategies:
- Practiced hopping off back foot instead of dragging both feet sideways
- Started watching screener’s chest instead of arms (less distracting)
- Whispered “fight through” like a crazy person before each drill
After two hours? Maybe got slightly less terrible? Maybe. Recorded it – still looked clumsy. Ain’t fooling anyone.
Stopped exhausted, sweating buckets. Core lesson? Fixing these defensive holes feels like carving rock with a spoon. Durant’s got god-tier offense, but patching this crap takes grinding every single day. Doubt he wakes up smiling about guarding pick n’ rolls either. Muscle memory builds slow. Real slow. Ain’t magic.
