While the Brooklyn Nets assured that Kevin Durant would not be returning this season despite the league's extended hiatus, the superstar forward had been taking the right steps to round into form.

Durant was taking part in three-on-three games before the NBA season came to a halt on March 11. Nets teammates Theo Pinson and Garrett Temple can attest for his progress, even if he was at less than 100% strength:

“He’s unguardable,” Theo Pinson said back in March, according to Alex Schiffer of The Athletic. “You think you’re contesting it, playing good defense and in a way he doesn’t even see you. It makes us better, and we’re trying to challenge him, too.”

Temple has seen and dissected Durant's efficiency, something that hasn't changed, even with less players on the floor. Needless to say, Temple came away impressed:

“The places he scores from, he’s very efficient in the way that he scores and the shots that he takes, even in there-on-three,” said Temple during a phone interview last week. “It really isn’t much different what he does in three-on-three than he does in five-on-five. He assesses the defense and goes from there.”

Back in March, Spencer Dinwiddie even teased Durant about his rumored return, noting it would be him defending him instead of Pinson:

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While this quarantine period hasn't allowed for Durant to have the same type of workouts with the team, he has made the most of his time with the Nets this season to analyze things from a different scope:

“I’m just looking at the game from a different lens,” said Durant. “You see the landscape of the league and just looking at our team and seeing guys get better every day. I’m looking at practice habits and how they transfer into games.”

There will be some rust to shake off once Durant is allowed to resume workouts with the team, but sure enough it looks like he's well on his way to a full recovery, physically and mentally.