“Kevin Durant wouldn’t miss from 15 feet out”: Nets superstar’s former high school coach reminisces about Team USA captain’s formative years and his work ethic

Kevin Durant has become one of the greatest scorers in basketball history on the strength of an unwavering work ethic and dedication.

The Slim Reaper has been one of the standout players in basketball for over a decade now. His rise to the top began early on as he ground it out on the AAU circuits before playing high school ball.

Durant is 6’10” today and can shoot over the world’s greatest defenders as and when he pleases. But he wasn’t always this tall, though he was relatively tall for his preferred position of shooting guard.

Having idolized Kobe as a child, Durant resolved to develop a scoring skillset to rival that of the Lakers legend. And it’s safe to say that he’s been wildly successful in this pursuit of his.

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The current version of Durant we’re seeing has every aspect of the game in his bag. It’s been a pleasure to see him unlock his potential over the past few months for the Brooklyn Nets and Team USA.

Kevin Durant always had a wet jumper, according to his high school coach

Durant had an exceptionally complete game by the time he’d progressed to 8th grade. While Vince Carter was his favorite player and the Raptors his favorite team, KD already knew that he’d have to develop more finesse to his own game.

Even in middle school, Durant towered over most of his basketball peers at 6 feet tall. He used his reach advantage to full effect, developing a complete offensive jump shooting repertoire near the bucket. According to his Dematha coach Mike Jones:

“The first time I saw KD, he was going into his eighth grade year in Drew Freeman Middle School. He was a long, tall kid with big feet. He played so hard. It wasn’t 3-pointers but everything 15 feet and it looked so natural to him. I don’t think he missed from 15 feet and in.”

” He just wanted to get better. He was never satisfied. Following that, I remember peeking at him in rec centers and it was abundantly clear how much he loved the game and how hard he was working and putting himself through drills.”

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