National Basketball Association

Kevin Durant finding groove in preseason

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Kevin Durant is starting to find his groove with the Golden State Warriors in the preseason.

The Golden State Warriors are taking a different approach in the preseason than most contenders do thus far. Rather than sitting their players and letting bench guys fight it out until the regular season, the Warriors are giving everyone serious burn. They’re trying to get the team to gel early, so that they’ll be ready to roll when the regular season begins. It’s imperative for a guy like Kevin Durant.

After a rough preseason debut for the Warriors, Durant is beginning to find his role for the team. He has been the main factor in two straight preseason wins and helped the team pull out a win against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night. He had 25 points in 26 minutes, for yet another efficient night.

This is all coming off the heels of 21 points in 25 minutes in the destruction of the Los Angeles Clippers. Now, it should come as no surprise that one of the best in the game is having a big night, but to see him really finding his groove early is imperative. It’s almost as if the Warriors are building their offense around him thus far so that he can find his way.

This is why these preseason games are important to play guys. It’s not going to do the Warriors any good if they have to figure this out when the games begin for real. Getting these important games in now will make it so Durant’s role is clearly more defined and each rotation is on point when October 25th rolls around.

These last two games have been a positive sign for Durant and it won’t be surprising to see them keeping building the preseason around him. It offers an insight into what Steve Kerr is aiming to do for the regular season. Thus far it’s working and Durant’s making the team around him better.