Steve Nash has played an even bigger part in the Golden State Warriors that most people would give him credit for. Despite having the role of team consultant, Nash frequents the facility not in a suit and tie, but in shorts and sneakers — talking to players like one of the guys and happy to get a few shots up and work with them.
The former back-to-back MVP played a huge role in getting Kevin Durant to join the Warriors, having a long conversation with him and getting him to understand that at this point in his career, he needed to do what was best for him, not what was expected of him.
Steve Nash followed by working with Durant, despite the clear size disparity between a 6-foot-3 point guard and a near 7-foot, long-limbed scoring machine.
“Instead of looking at the huge, obvious differences between us, I think there are a lot of similarities in our games,” Nash, an eight-time All-Star, said of Durant, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times. “There’s a lot I can share with him even though it might look to you like an unlikely pairing. He handles the ball in the pick and roll, he’s a terrific passer, he’s so good at attacking with the ball.”
“If I can teach him some of the things I did to create space and get shots off and make my teammates better at 6-2, it can only help him at his height.”
Nash noted Kevin Durant's skill set is one who has made a path for the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kristaps Porzingis, players with an insane all-around repertoire, gifted with height and freakish athleticism.
“We talk about some of these young players being unicorns,” Nash said. “What Kevin can do at his size, with his athleticism, with his skill set, with his agility — he’s a true unicorn.”
Durant was the most efficient version of his NBA self last season, notching a career-high 53.7 percent from the field in a star-studded offense, along with a career-high in rebounding (8.3), shot-blocking (1.6), a third-best in assists (4.8), and career-low 2.2 turnovers per game.
But all these personal achievements, these parts of his game that he looked for during a scandalized 2016 offseason, came at the price of a year-long scrutiny.
“He took a lot of heat for his decision, so it hasn’t always been easy, but he was at his best when it counted most and I think he’s handled it all on the court incredibly well,” Nash said of Durant. “He made a life choice to go somewhere else and put himself in a new environment and challenge himself. It’s been fantastic for him as a man and winning a championship on top of it was the fruit of that decision.”
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