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The Brooklyn Nets have been without superstar forward Kevin Durant since Dec. 18 after he was placed in the NBA's COVID-19 protocols. Durant is among a handful of Nets players sidelined while in health and safety protocols, including Kyrie Irving. Head coach Steve Nash has offered an update Durant's status, suggesting a return for the MVP candidate appears to be in the cards, per Ohm Youngmisuk.
Steve Nash says Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving remain in health and safety protocols but he expects there's a good chance that Durant will be out of protocols when the team is back in Brooklyn this week.
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) December 27, 2021
Nash claims there is a “good chance” that Durant will be free from the league's protocols in time for Brooklyn's upcoming homestand. The Nets play in Los Angeles against the Clippers on Monday night before returning home to the Barclays Center for a three-game homestand with games against Philadelphia 76ers, Clippers, and Memphis Grizzlies. As Nash stated, the expectation is that Durant would be able to return to game action at some point during that stretch.
Durant has missed the Nets' previous two games after being placed in league protocols. The Nets suffered a loss to the Orlando Magic on Dec. 18 and then took down the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day with Durant unavailable. He'll miss his third consecutive game on Monday when the Nets face LA, though the Clippers are dealing with their own injury crisis at the moment.
On the year, Durant is posting season averages of 29.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 5.9 assists while shooting at a 52.8% clip from the field. He's helped the Nets grab the first seed in the Eastern Conference at 22-9 thus far into the year, so his return to the floor will be a major boost for Brooklyn.
