Kevin Durant “Excited” to Play Under New Nets Coach Steve Nash

The Brooklyn Nets sprung a surprise with the appointment of Hall of Famer Steve Nash as head coach. Despite him having no prior coaching experience, he is one of the smartest players to have played in the NBA, and Nets superstar Kevin Durant said he is excited about working with him.

During his appearance on the JJ Redick podcast, Durant said, “Anytime a former player gets a job as a coach in the league, I’m excited. Their level of knowledge of the game is deep. Especially on the floor. His insight for the game, how he communicates the game of basketball is definitely going to help me as a player develop and it’s going to help the rest of our team.”

Can Kevin Durant and Steve Nash bring a title to Brooklyn?

Nash had retired in 2015, so Durant has played against him for years. He mentioned how they had mutual respect right from their on-court battles and later when Nash helped Durant during his days at Golden State.

He said, “Our relationship started with him admiring me as a player and then playing against him and competing against him and finally getting the chance to work out with Steve.

I understood how his mind works for the game.”

“I’m looking forward to this and I always feel like I’m a student of the game. Somebody who’s experienced so much and played in different eras, I’m looking forward to him teaching him some more things about it as well.”

After his playing career, Nash joined the Warriors as a player development consultant. That is when he first worked with Durant. They won two titles together back in 2017 and 2018. Now they will aim to recreate that success in Brooklyn.

The Nets aren’t as strong as the Warriors team. But on paper, they still have one of the best rosters in the East. Alongside Durant, they also have Kyrie Irving, one of the best point guards in the league. Finally, they have Caris LeVert, who has shown a lot of promise and leadership in the bubble.

Nash is lucky that he already has a great team to work with. During his playing career, he never won an NBA title. But he will be eager to win as a coach in Brooklyn.