Nets' Kevin Durant makes everything look easy, including returning from injury

Back in the lineup against Phoenix after a week-long absence, the superstar looked like his normal self once again

NEW YORK -- Early in the third quarter on Sunday, all eyes were on Kevin Durant. He had the ball in the mid-post against Chris Paul, a smart and sturdy but nevertheless 10 inches shorter defender. Durant, however, did not so much at look in the direction of the basket. As soon as the ball was securely in his hands, he fired it right back to his Brooklyn Nets buddy, Kyrie Irving, who had darted off a flare screen from DeAndre Jordan. Irving cashed the open 3, giving him 27 of the Nets' 67 points. This was not a particularly extraordinary play, especially compared to the off-the-glass, left-handed floater that Irving would make with Paul draped all over him a few possessions later. It stood out only because of how easy it was. More than any other superstar, Durant makes the game look effortless. He doesn't need to hunt shots to score 33 points on 12-for-21 shooting in 28 minutes, as he did in his return from a left thigh injury. The points seem to find him.  Shortly before Brooklyn's 128-119 win over the Phoenix Suns at Barclays Center, coach Steve Nash said that Durant's "skill set, the way he can fit into a basketball team is about as perfect as you can be." He can get you a bucket whenever you need one, but he doesn't need to initiate the offense or dominate the ball. It isn't supposed to be this seamless when you haven't played basketball in a week, but Durant looked great when he got back on the floor after his torn Achilles and his hamstring injury, too.