Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob told ESPN's Stephen A. Smith he expects to see superstar small forward Kevin Durant on the floor at some point during the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors.
Durant has been out since Game 5 of the second round of the playoffs with a right calf strain.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob says he expects to see KD on the floor at some point during the #NBAFinals. pic.twitter.com/S5fcgjuYIo
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 5, 2019
Game 4 of the Finals is on Friday in Oakland. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said on Wednesday Durant still hasn't done any five-on-five work.
In the 2019 playoffs, Durant is averaging 34.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists while shooting 51.3 percent from the field, 41.6 percent from beyond the arc and 90.1 percent from the free-throw line. The Warriors have gone 6-1 without Durant. Their lone loss was in Game 1 of the Finals.
It's a good sign that Lacob is confident Durant will be back. The Warriors are banged up right now, as All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson is dealing with a left hamstring injury and center Kevon Looney is out for the rest of the postseason.
Can the Warriors win the Finals without Durant? Probably. However, it would be nice to get KD back so Stephen Curry's workload on offense isn't too high. Until Durant gets back, Curry, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and DeMarcus Cousins will have to carry the offensive burden for the Dubs.