How Will the Mavericks Handle a Red-Hot Kevin Durant?

The 17-year veteran is averaging nearly 28 points per game.

Oct 26, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) defends against Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) in the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Mavericks are taking on the Phoenix Suns for the second time this season, but they'll be doing it without P.J. Washington and Dereck Lively II, two players who have a massive impact on the Mavericks' defensive strategy, specifically Washington, in this game against a big wing like Kevin Durant.

Durant, a University of Texas product, has been atop the NBA scoring charts seemingly his entire career and is still doing it big in his 17th season in the league. He's scored 30 or more in five of his eight games in 2024 and is shooting 55.1% from the field and 42.0% from three. His handle and foot speed at his size allow him to create his own offense at an alarmingly efficient clip, forcing defenses to try out different strategies to guard him.

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Durant has very few holes in his game on the offensive end, especially when shooting the ball – on movement catch-and-shoot threes, he's averaging a blistering 2.14 points per shot, good for the 98th percentile according to Synergy Sports. The only areas where he's not completely on fire this season are attempts not normally in his shot diet, i.e., corner threes and stationary catch-and-shoot threes.

The best way to defend Kevin Durant is to try to play denial against him, but that only works so well, especially given the fact that Phoenix has paired the lanky forward with Devin Booker. It's simply difficult to keep the ball out of his hands because of his size, and when flying around an off-ball screen, Durant is one of the most dangerous shooters in the NBA. Really, the only players that have given him trouble are smaller guards who can try to rip his handle, and even then, his ability to shoot over them makes these matchups not that viable, or at least not playable for long stretches.

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The other thing to note about Durant is that he is a very good passer, which is why the double team isn't a workable strategy, either. He often finds open players when trapped, averaging nearly four assists per game this season with an assist rate of 11.4%. He's even good when guarded closely, ranking in the 75th percentile on such attempts at 1.22 points per shot.

Dallas' best bet in slowing down Durant will be in forward Naji Marshall, a physical defender with good footwork that can crowd the Phoenix forward and at the very least make life more difficult in tonight's game. Marshall is already a +46 on the season for the Mavs and has the best defensive box plus-minus on the team as far as qualified players are concerned (the two leaders are Markieff Morris and Dwight Powell, whose minutes have been mostly limited).

In order for the Mavericks to come out on top, Marshall will have to play his best defensive game of the season, limiting Durant's shot attempts overall and playing him physically when he does get the ball. This includes fighting over screens on the perimeter and not giving Durant the movement threes at which he excels so much. Considering they are lacking PJ Washington, it's likely Marshall will start and match up against Durant throughout the game.

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