The off-season is coming to an end and training camp and pre-season will soon be back in full swing, with some big headaches in store for a certain Ishmail Wainrightwell known to the French public for having played in Strasbourg in 2020/21 before flying to the NBA.
Now at the Phoenix Suns, the 3-4 position knows that he will still have to struggle Kevin Durant in training, and there is a good chance that the latter will disgust him! During the summer, Ishmail Wainright confided that this is particularly what happened when KD was traded to Arizona. Arriving injured, KD had to get back into shape in training, and Ishmail Wainright visibly struggled, to the point of almost losing his nerve.
Impossible to stop…
“When KD arrived, and he had to get back to play again, I had to face him every day, whether it was 1-on-1, 2-on-2 or 3-on-3, and each time, he was my direct opponent. When I tell you that there were times when I was so angry, I wanted to fight with KD! “, he thus launched.
He particularly remembered one session where he did everything possible to try, even try to limit Kevin Durant, to no avail.
“Monty Williams was on a bike, I don’t remember exactly where it was, in Dallas, or somewhere else. The coach was on the bike and I was playing a 3-on-3, and Kevin was just unplayable. I crash into him, I hit him, but he manages to go to his favorite places. I have my hand on his face, but he doesn’t even see me actually. Monty encouraged us to keep playing. Every time he has the ball, KD scores. There comes a time when I build up pressure by saying to myself: ‘OK, but next time you’re not going to score on me’. They put screens on me, I hit them like ‘Get out of there’, but he got to his spots and managed to rise.”
A bad for a good
Fortunately for him, his coach at the time, Monty Williams must have felt that his player was on the verge of implosion and he did what was necessary to immediately relieve the pressure.
“I think he put the winning basket on my head. And then I went crazy. Monty Williams called me then, and he said ‘It’s okay…’. I replied: ‘What do you mean, are you okay? He just scored on me every time he touched the ball.’ And he said to me: ‘It’s OK, do you know why? Because he’s one of the greatest players in history. Just as he says that, Kevin comes in to tell me that no one had defended him like that. ‘You made every shot difficult for me and I was better because of you. It’s the same thing I told Mikal (Bridges)’. I replied: ‘But I’m not Mikal!’ »added Ishmail Wainright.
With hindsight, the former Strasbourg player recognized that these torture sessions had ultimately been beneficial to him, making him a better defender thanks to the quality of Kevin Durant’s palette.
“Your confidence increases. Now he takes me aside, he explains to me what I can do. ‘Some players defend me like this, others like that.’ He gives me tools, his knowledge, and it’s something I love. We have some of the best scorers on the team and for us, they are teachers.”
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
