Kevin Durant Learning To Be Clutch
How do you learn to become clutch?
By going through what Kevin Durant has over the past two weeks. By walking off the court as Durant has done in three of the past six games with your head hung following the hard luck and heartbreak that comes with last-second letdowns.
Durant has failed to come through for the Thunder in the final seconds three out of four times already this month and is suddenly experiencing the hardships all the greats have faced before earning their closer labels.
Durant showed against Denver on Jan. 2 that he’s ready to take and make the big shot. He nailed an off-balance 3-pointer from the top of the key with 2.7 seconds remaining to give the Thunder a 120-119 lead against the Nuggets. But Carmelo Anthony matched Durant’s heroics by sinking the game-winning 3-pointer with 0.1 left on the clock.
That wasted magic seems a distant memory going into tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz. Durant’s big-game status has come in question because of his failed attempts to tie or win the ball game in the final seconds of each of the past three outings.
He missed a potential game-tying 20-footer with 9.3 seconds remaining against Houston on Jan. 9. The Rockets won by two.
One night later, he missed a potential game-winning 22-footer with 1.9 seconds remaining in regulation against Chicago. The Thunder prevailed 109-98 in overtime.
And on Monday against New Jersey, Durant missed a 20-footer from the top of the key with 36.5 seconds left in regulation. The Nets won 103-99 in overtime.
“But Kevin has made big shots in the past and he’s going to continue making them,” said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. ”I don’t really look at him as a guy that can’t make shots in the clutch because I know that’s who he is. He’s a clutch shooter.”
According to the Web site 82games.com, Durant enters tonight’s game as the league’s 22nd best scorer in “clutch” time. Clutch stats are defined by games in the fourth quarter or overtime with less than five minutes left and neither team ahead by more than five points. Durant averages 31.3 points per 48 minutes of clutch time, ahead of players like Andre Iguodala, Chris Bosh, Tracy McGrady, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Caron Butler and Michael Redd.
But 70 percent of Durant’s clutch time points are assisted, meaning he’s rarely creating for himself or others. Worse, his 5.2 clutch time turnovers per 48 minutes are the 10th highest in the league. Those mistakes have been on display in the last three games, with Durant totaling 18 turnovers, four coming in the fourth quarter or overtime.
“I believe that players go through tough stretches, whether it’s a young player or a veteran player,” Brooks said. “What you have to do is you have to understand what you’re going through and try to find solutions to correct your problems.
“When you become really good, you need to get a good shot. (Michael) Jordan was obviously good early on. But when he became special, he could make that shot and he could find open teammates. With Kevin, he’s going to draw a lot of attention. If he’s open he has to shoot it. But now if he has guys open he has to make that extra pass. I think the great players make the right play.”
Durant is averaging just 1.7 assists per 48 clutch time minutes, the same amount as Jazz big man Paul Millsap, Denver’s Nene Hilario and Orlando’s Dwight Howard. Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade, by comparison, is averaging 9.6 and Atlanta’s Joe Johnson is at 9.1.
“He has the opportunities and he’s going to continue to get them,” Brooks said when asked if the team will keep going to Durant or put the ball in the hands of Jeff Green or Russell Westbrook with the game on the line.
Publicly, Durant has taken his late-game lumps in stride.
“I know it’s not the last opportunity I have,” Durant said recently. “The next time it comes around I’ve just got to be ready and hopefully I make them.”
But when the doors are closed at the team’s practice facility, teammates see Durant agonizing over his failures.
“He’s a guy that really takes things to heart as it pertains to basketball,” said Desmond Mason. “If he has a bad game or he turns the ball over he gets upset because of that. But sometimes that lingers on. For him, it’s good that he gets upset at that young age because that means he cares about the game and he cares about doing well. And I think that’s very important. But also, he has to let it go so it doesn’t affect other parts of his game or it doesn’t affect the next game.
“With the type of player that he is, he’s going to be taking a lot of those shots over the course of his career. So he really can’t get discouraged. He just needs to continue to play and continue to take the shots because this team, this franchise is going to ask him to do that. That’s what makes great players.”
Durant says he believes his customary post-practice shooting will help him in the future when the game is on the line. But, as Brooks said, “it’s hard to simulate a late-game situation unless you’ve got 19,000 people yelling at you.”
“It’s one of those things where you get confident in taking them,” said Mason. ”You’re going to miss some, but if you can deal with the heat you’re going to make some and you’re going to get the glory.”
-DM-
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Nice story, DM.