Today Durant made his debut for the Suns, trying his hand at 23 points in 27 minutes.
But 27 minutes, quite informative.
Originally, Bridges left, which made people worry about the Sun's defense. But today, the defensive problem doesn't seem to be huge:
The Hornets scored just 91 points today, with an efficiency of 90 points per 100 rounds. Despite missing three goals, the Hornets have won five straight games before and are not in bad form - they were still defeated by the Suns.
Durant's bright spot lies in defense:
While he's on the floor, the Hornets score 77 points per 100 rounds.
At the beginning of today, the Suns put Durant to guard Hayward, and when the block was removed, Ayton directly changed the defense and received Durant's block removal.
Durant switched defenses inside, Hornets tried to get Mark Williams to eat one, and Durant was hit by a cap; Mark is not dead, another one, and another hat.
In the first five minutes, Durant gave the Hornets hats and set the tone.
Today the Hornets scored just 38 points inside.
Talked before: Coach Vaughn's defense this season is to use Claxton and Durant's change of defense; Durant played the best blocking record of his career in the Nets this season when he first arrived with the Warriors.
What the Suns were missing was a long forward in the rotation in addition to Ayton and Landale. Today Durant changed two anti-blocking blocks, which was made up.
Ayton: Finally safe grabbing rebounds! That's the second-highest 15 defensive rebounds of the season.
The defense is steady, attacking.
Paul is old, but old and hot, and knows how to use Durant.
The Suns' first goal in the opening game was to find Durant, but he missed; After that, Paul had a chance on the left wing, didn't shoot, fed Durant, broke through, attacked the basket, and scored.
That was Durant's first goal with the Suns.
At the beginning of the second half, Paul's first goal was again for Durant's cut. The characteristics of these two goals are exactly the same, very Paul: not risky, very punctual, while Durant has already started to feed over, there is an angle to attack the basket.
Very comfortable.
Paul's first assist in the first and second half of the game today was given to Durant.
Durant had 23 minutes in 27 minutes and Booker 37 in 33 minutes.
The scary thing about the two of them together, look at Durant's first three-pointer:
Booker advances on the right, Paul follows in the middle, and Durant on the left.
The Hornets could only stack the right side to prevent Booker's possession, so Booker shifted to the weak side and Durant easily shot from distance.
- When Durant and Booker are on each side, ask who you are defending against?
Not to mention that Durant can directly make a long pass and find Booker's counterattack.
But when they are not in the same place, there is a way to play together:
When Paul and Booker were not there, Durant took Payne to play a second team and blocked it with the ball.
Ayton is usually used to blocking with Paul and Booker, and knows how to block the king of shots. Durant: Speaking of mid-range shots, that's a coincidence...
Durant shot 7-of-10 from mid-range today.
The Hornets also made joint defense, Payne understood very well, and immediately looked for Durant. Durant: This breaking defense has to use a strong three-point shot...
The Sun benefits most today not from Ayton, but from Randale:
Today Randale had less than 15 minutes, five cover assists and blocked 11 points.
Especially the series of three blocks in the fourth quarter:
At one point, the Hornets chased the deficit to 6 points, and Durant came back in the fourth quarter to take over the harvest.
After Randale blocked a 2+1 for Durant, he happily dragged him up.
Then Durant blocked two shots from Landale, and the difference widened.
Finally Paul came back and gave Durant his 10th assist of the game, and Durant fired a jump shot to basically lock the game.
This jumper is interesting:
Paul eats the pinch, gives the ball; Ayton blocks, Durant cuts: When the Hornets double pounced on Durant, Hayward rotated to make up for Ayton, and the bottom corners of the sun were empty.
Of course, Durant directly didn't shoot nonsense, but this goal is extremely interesting:
Durant is just an empty cut that can crush the Hornets' defense.
——Did you think of something else?
Durant shot 10-of-15 today, and in addition to a few ball-holding blocks with the second team, the Suns tried to make him relatively comfortable cutting out catches and covering the follow-up.
The Suns had Paul and Booker to feed him, Ayton and Randale to cover him, and he was comfortably equipped. Durant made 4 of his 8 two-pointers and ate assists; 2 three-pointers are all assists: 60% assists. This is just the first one.
In 2010-11, Durant received 57 percent assists on two-pointers and 86 percent on three-pointers: he was in his fourth grade.
By his MVP season, 45 percent and 56 percent — understandably, Wilson missed half a season injured that year, and Durant had more to carry the ball himself.
When Durant first arrived with the Warriors, he integrated into the Warriors system, and the two were complete and invincible. That year he received 57 percent assists on two-pointers and 80 percent on three-pointers.
And in the net for two and a half years: 48%, 59% - more than half of the two-pointers, four percent of the three-pointers, are shot by themselves.
Today in the first game of the Suns, when the cooperation is not very tacit, 50% of the two-pointers receive assists, and 100% of the three-pointers receive assists.
Although he only played 27 minutes, Durant demonstrated:
He can provide the Suns to change defenses, protect the basket, play no-ball with Paul Booker, block and break the second line by holding the ball, take over and close the game when needed - such as the fourth quarter - and even rely on the threat of no ball to pull out huge space.
The Suns are: Paul and Booker actively feed the ball, Ayton and Randale actively cover.
The cooperation is not fine enough, but the general direction comes out:
Instead of expecting Durant to carry the ball himself every round — that was left until the fourth quarter — the Suns tried to block passes as much as possible to make him comfortable with the ball; The fact is that at the end of the game, because Durant's blocking is too powerful, the Hornets have to double his off-ball, which can be used for new purposes in the future.
It's just that for now, at least the sun's train of thought, shows that they understand very well:
When Durant doesn't have to worry about a lot of things on the court, and only focuses on the offense and defense round by round, even if it is a new team, even if he hasn't played for 52 days, he is still the ultimate offensive and defensive misplaced monster.
Then let him only worry about scoring and protecting the basket.
Video version, do it at hand: