Name: Kevin Durant’s peers are gushing over how well he’s playing
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Kevin Durant’s peers are gushing over how well he’s playing

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Medical experts have told The Post that Kevin Durant from Achilles surgery and be as good as ever. Now, players who have seen the Nets’ star in action, up close, are saying the same thing.Los Angeles is close to 3,000 miles away from Brooklyn, but that’s where a host of NBA players — including more than a half-dozen Nets — have come from far and wide to work out at the Sports Academy. And reports from the gym are that Durant has been nothing short of dominant.Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving, Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan, Taurean Prince and Jaylen Hands all played with Durant at times, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Hami Diallo, Sekou Doumbouya, Ty Jerome and the Knicks’ Frank Ntilikina are among the other NBA names that joined in. John Wall and even retired Gilbert Arenas flew in and“For me, I’m playing in Miami, it’s cool; but playing against Kevin Durant and Kyrie, if I’m doing that, then all right, bet: I’m good. We can start the season,” said Wall, who like Durant is rehabbing from an injury that cost him the entire 2019-20 season. “Miami’s cool, but you’re playing against them two …”Those two being Durant and Irving, the former sidelined since June 2019 with a ruptured right Achilles and the latter limited to just 20 games last season before undergoing shoulder surgery. Apparently, both are back to playing well.“In-season, [Durant] is going to come out attacking. He’s going to hit you first. That’s what he’s taught: Hit you first, then dial it back down and hit you again, then dial it back and go,” Arenas said.“So here, when I see him, that’s all I’m waiting for because you’ve got to remember, he’s coming off an injury too. So the mindset is the most important. How is he gonna start the game? Let’s me know where he’s at, at this point.”Where Durant was at was draining his first five shots in that pickup game, all on hesitation pull-ups. From that point, Wall and Arenas could tell he was back.“KD started the game 5-for-5. Out of those five shots, what were they? Left hesi[tation]. He just lulls them to sleep,” Wall said.“Just left hesi pull-up: Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And then, once he was done with that, he goes back to his regular stuff,” added Arenas.For Durant, the proposed Dec. 22 season opener will mark 561 days since rupturing his Achilles, so it’s not overly shocking that he’s healthy. But the fact that he looks not only confident but aggressive against NBA competition bodes well for the Nets.“As soon as he comes out, he shoots the first [five] shots, goes 5-for-5. … As soon as he comes down, pop, pop. There we go, [he’s] all right,” said Arenas. “So, both the boys [Durant and Wall] are back. That’s all you’re trying to make sure: You’re mentally back. You did the physical part: Now, it’s this [mental] part, making sure all those doors [are] unlocked so when the season hits, you have an open game.“That’s basically where it’s at, making sure the game is open, making sure the thought process is clear — you’re not second-guessing your jumper, you’re not second-guessing your drive, you’re not second-guessing your creativity. [We’ve] seen it, coming down, fast break behind-the-back layup. OK, there we go.”The Clippers hired longtime New York exec Alex Diaz as COO to oversee plans for their new Inglewood arena project. He’d been SVP/GM of Madison Square Garden, and had a big role in Barclays Center.The best insights from the ultimate insiders

Medical experts have told The Post that Kevin Durant from Achilles surgery and be as good as ever. Now, players who have seen the Nets’ star in action, up close, are saying the same thing.Los Angeles is close to 3,000 miles away from Brooklyn, but that’s where a host of NBA players — including more than a half-dozen Nets — have come from far and wide to work out at the Sports Academy. And reports from the gym are that Durant has been nothing short of dominant.Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving, Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan, Taurean Prince and Jaylen Hands all played with Durant at...

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Brian Lewis

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Kevin Durant’s peers are gushing over how well he’s playing

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