Kevin Durant is regarded as one of the best scorers to ever grace the game of basketball, with his smooth jumpers in the NBA. Current and even former NBA players sometimes get surprised with his shooting prowess. Recently, Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero went into his workout sessions with Kevin Durant and the things he picked up from the Slim Reaper. Banchero’s points per game average saw a slight bump this year as compared to last season. But it wasn’t just his PPG average that saw an increase but also his field goal percentage that improved this year.
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This past offseason, Paolo Banchero had the opportunity to work out with Kevin Durant. Banchero recently touched upon the things he realized afterwards. He talked about his shooting arc and stance and saw a huge difference as opposed to what it was the previous year.
Banchero made an appearance on The Old Man and the Three podcast with JJ Redick. The reigning Rookie of the Year and Redick first talked about Banchero’s development in terms of shooting, leading the Duke product to bring up his workout with Durant.
“I think I spent some time with Kevin that helped me as well just with my shot. Seeing how he details it, just every single rep looks the same.”
Both Banchero and Redick talked extensively on his workout with Durant which ultimately made the Orlando Magic forward realize how far he had to go in terms of being a good shooter. The two also brought up KD’s one-legged spin jumper, paying homage to Dirk Nowitzki while doing so as well.
Banchero also went on to add, “And he’ll shoot like literally 85% in the workout. Working out with him makes you lock in even more. Like, them workouts with KD were some of the best shooting days I’ve ever had.”
After watching Kevin Durant’s workout routine and his efficiency while working on his shot, not only was Banchero absolutely awestruck but he also realized the amount of work he has to put in, just to come close to being as good of a shooter as Durantula. KD has a 50% field goal percentage in his career and is averaging 53.4% so far this year.
So, the former number-one pick knows the work cut out for him. But Banchero still credits the time spent with Kevin Durant as one of the best workouts he’s ever had. That workout not only helped him improve his game but also set the benchmark for what he has to achieve.
Kevin Durant’s high shooting efficiency and workout regime
Kevin Durant’s high workout efficiency is not just a result of his workout routine but his willingness to put in the hard work. Even his current and former teammates highlighted KD’s work ethic.
Former Suns center Deandre Ayton once spoke to the media about the changes that took place after the arrival of Kevin Durant this past season. Ayton mentioned how the atmosphere changed and termed KD’s impact as ‘less smiles, more seriousness’ in the lab.
The Slim Reaper always had a knack for improving his game to be one of the best in the league. To do so, the two-time NBA champion worked out with players like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Carmelo Anthony in the past to soak in as much knowledge as he could from some of the greats in the league.
“I’ll work out with anybody. I would have worked out with Kobe Bryant. I would have worked out with Carmelo (Anthony). I just wanted to work out and get better.”
Considered almost a veteran in the league, now Durant is the one imparting his basketball wisdom and knowledge to the next generation of players in the league. And we can see the effect it has on Paolo Banchero who saw a bump in his point production this season.
