There' still no telling when Kevin Durant will return from the ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks confirmed as much on Tuesday, telling reporters his team won't even be putting a timeline on Durant's potential return to the floor.

But FOX Sports analyst Cris Carter, after speaking with multiple athletic doctors and trainers, is adamant the two-time Finals MVP will be back on the floor “at full capacity” in December or January. Former Nets forward Jared Dudley pushed back on that notion, though, alluding to Brooklyn's tendency to exercise extreme caution with regard to player health as why he would be “shocked” if Durant makes his Nets debut prior to March.

Dudley, a 12-year veteran, spent last season with Brooklyn after signing a one-year deal in free agency. More a veteran mentor and locker-room leader than consistent on-court contributor during the regular season, his presence loomed far larger in the first round of the playoffs, when he defended everyone from Ben Simmons to Joel Embiid and helped set a gritty, aggressive tone that made life hard on the Philadelphia 76ers.

He signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal contract with the Los Angeles Lakers last week.

Durant rocked the basketball world on June 30 by teaming up with Kyrie Irving to join the Nets. Due to his injury, however, Brooklyn will likely have to wait to until 2020-21 – even if Durant returns in the latter stages of the upcoming season – to assume its place as a lasting contender in the Eastern Conference.