The Golden State Warriors have another week left before releasing an update of the status of star forward Kevin Durant‘s knee, along with a timeline for his return. But there is a “cautious optimism” for his return before the end of the regular season, according to a dual report by Marc Stein and Chris Haynes of ESPN.
It's been 22 days since Durant suffered a rather freakish injury, as teammate Zaza Pachulia‘s head landed squarely in his left knee during the first minute of play against the Washington Wizards on Feb. 28.
The 2014 MVP suffered a sprained MCL and tibial bone bruise and was given a four-week timetable before his re-evaluation. The Warriors' leading scorer was seen in a wheelchair the day after the injury and then in a boot and crutches the days to follow, with him just getting back to joining the team for travel and doing some light shooting work throughout the week.
Durant looked pretty comfortable shooting jumpers before the Mavericks game. didn't see him doing anything more explosive than this, though. pic.twitter.com/E51raIkkeY
— Tim Cato (@tim_cato) March 21, 2017
Durant's physical style of play attacking the rim, as well as rebounding and blocking shots, will demand a lot more than just shooting jumpers — which will test the explosiveness of his left knee, as well as his fast-twitch reactions keeping up on the defensive end.
Golden State is hopeful Durant can get a few regular season games under his belt before gearing up for the playoffs, with teammates Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson carrying the scoring load for the time being — chasing a lock in the Western Conference's No. 1 seed.
Kevin Durant leads the Warriors in scoring (25.3 points) and rebounding (8.2 rebounds), while blocking a career-high 1.6 shots per game throughout 59 games this season.
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