Kevin Durant has seen a lot of different defenses this season. Triangle-and-two, box-and-one, 2-3 zone, the Minnesota Timberwolves “junking up” the lane by completely ignoring the Brooklyn Nets' non-shooters. Durant started sharing that he noticed teams were doubling him even more aggressively this 2021-22 than they had in the past. Remember the time he tried to convince Jason Kidd, the Dallas Mavericks head coach, to single-cover him with Dorian Finney-Smith?

“I think he's been doubled a lot, I think the league has doubled more this year out high…. and I think he's done a great job facilitating out of double-teams,” Steve Nash said after the monster 134-126 win over the visiting Indiana Pacers.

In the last and arguably most important game of the season, with the Nets on the brink of clinching the 7th seed in the East which would slate them to host the first Play-In game at Barclays Center, Durant's shot wasn't falling. No matter. He's honed his passing chops all season long.

Durant finished with a career high 16 dimes to go with 20 points and 10 rebounds. After the game, he opened up about the experience he gained when facing so many different defenses all season.

“I feel like there's between like shadowing somebody or just being in the area of someone, and full out doubling, and straight up selling out to stop somebody,” Durant explained. “And I feel like I've been playing amongst those three things throughout the whole season. Each coach is gonna through something different at me each game. … Sometimes I come down court and I see the whole [other] team just staring in my eyes.”

Now the Nets will host the Cleveland Cavaliers for the first game of the Play-In. They just got a close look at Darius Garland and co. a few days ago. Durant may be tasked with making the right reads against them one more time. In the last matchup, the Cavs allowed KD to score 36 points.

So they may be determined to force other players to beat them next time. If they do, Durant will be ready once again to make the right pass.

“That's a tough position to be in, [when the defenders are all staring at you] I just gotta make the right reads. I had some wild turnovers this year. But for the most part I thought I did a good job of finding guys and playing the game a little slower and seeing things develop before they actually do so I think it was good for me to get that type of coverage early in the season,” Durant said.

It won't hurt that Kyrie Irving will be by his side. Many of those future assists figure to go to Durant's favorite superstar teammate.