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Nets: Steve Nash not afraid to use Kevin Durant at point guard

By Adam Weinrib

Steve Nash poses for a portrait at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 7, 2018 in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Steve Nash poses for a portrait at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 7, 2018 in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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Nets head coach Steve Nash wants to use Kevin Durant EVERYWHERE.

New Nets boss Steve Nash is entering uncharted territory in Brooklyn, taking a hold of his first-ever team at the highest level, absorbing immediate championship aspirations (no pressure or anything).

So far, it seems like he’s perfectly willing to drag his players with him into this strange abyss.

Nash has free rein to make an imprint on this roster, despite the influence of the two superstars he’s now been told to manage in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. And as soon as he gets his hands on both players, it’s clear he’ll emphasize flexibility above all else.

Nash went on record on Thursday claiming that he’d work on Durant, for example, at any position — and yes, that includes point guard.

As Nash told the New York Post:

"“Kevin, with his length, is a matchup problem for everyone,” said Nash. “[Kyrie Irving’s] excellent off the ball. Kevin can play all five positions, and I plan to use him in all five positions. I get excited to use some of the guys on the roster: Caris [LeVert], [DeAndre Jordan], Jarrett Allen, Joe Harris.”"

This also echoes former Nets boss Kenny Atkinson, for what it’s worth, who extolled the virtues of playing Russell Westbrook as the primary ball-handler in his MVP campaign, and mused about what similar dominant leadership could do for Durant.

As Caris LeVert said in a recent interview on the R2C2 podcast, the Nets roster already respects Nash’s expertise because of the high level of play they know he’s capable of. If he asks them to jump, they’ll answer, “How high, and from which position? The 4?”

Once the two parties get in the lab, the on-court concoctions will only prove more lethal.

We spent much time in the Bubble focusing on the emergence of Point LeVert, and what that might mean for his future, as well as the 2020-21 roster under, say, Jacque Vaughn.

It’s now clear that the urge to experiment thusly did not die when Vaughn was demoted. In fact, it only grew stronger.