Okay, so today I decided to really put in some work on the court, focusing on mimicking some stuff I see Kevin Durant do, especially thinking about how he operates against a tough, physical defense like the Miami Heat always brings. It wasn’t about actually playing against the Heat, obviously, but more about simulating that pressure in my drills.
Getting Started
First things first, I had to get loose. Can’t just jump into intense stuff. Spent a good 15-20 minutes just warming up. Some light jogging around the court, dynamic stretches – leg swings, arm circles, torso twists. Then moved into ball handling. Just basic stuff to get a feel for the rock: stationary dribbles, crossovers, behind-the-back, figure eights. Gotta wake up the hands and the feet.
The Main Work
Alright, after the warm-up, I got into the core of the session. I wanted to work on scoring under duress, like KD has to.
Drill 1: Pull-up Jumpers
This is a KD staple. I set up cones to simulate defenders. Practiced driving hard towards one side, then planting and pulling up quickly for the shot. Focused on getting elevation and a smooth release. Did this from midrange, baseline, and the elbows. Really tried to explode up, imagining a defender closing out hard.
Drill 2: Catch and Shoot (Pressure Simulation)
For this, I imagined catching the ball on the wing or in the corner with very little space – like the Heat defense swarming. I practiced quick footwork – hop into the shot or a 1-2 step – and getting the shot off fast. Had a friend pass me the ball sometimes, other times I’d spin the ball to myself. The key was speed and a high release point.
Drill 3: Iso Moves to Score
KD often gets the ball in isolation. I worked on a few simple but effective moves:
- Hesitation dribble, then drive or pull-up.
- Simple crossover into a shot.
- Jab step and shoot if the imaginary defender didn’t bite.
Again, the focus wasn’t just making the shot, but doing it with intensity and game-like speed, picturing that tough defense in front of me.
Wrapping Up
Spent about an hour on these main drills. Was definitely feeling it towards the end. Legs getting tired, shots starting to fall short sometimes. But that’s part of it, right? Pushing through fatigue. Finished up with some free throws – always gotta make your free throws. Then a cool down, some static stretching to prevent soreness tomorrow.
Overall, a solid session. The pull-up felt pretty good today, especially going left. Catch-and-shoot still needs work on consistency when I’m tired. But yeah, felt good to push myself with that ‘KD vs Heat’ mentality. It’s all about adding tools and getting comfortable being uncomfortable on the court. Back at it again soon.
