Kevin Durant has yet to make his debut with the Brooklyn Nets because of his recovery from an Achilles injury. There were some who thought the two-time champion may recover quickly enough to play at some point during this season, but head coach Kenny Atkinson says that hasn't been on the team's mind:
Kenny Atkinson asked about Kevin Durant playing in next few months and shoots it down. “I don’t think there’s been any thought there.”
— Alex Schiffer (@Alex__Schiffer) January 9, 2020
KD is doing on-court work and progressing “fantastically,” but there are still no plans to bring him back this season. Durant has said himself that he doesn't plan on playing in the 2019-20 season. Nets GM Sean Marks had the same sentiments about KD, noting that his sort of injury can take over a year to recover from. Even if there is a chance that he can return to action later in this campaign, it would probably be best to hold him out — just to be sure.
Durant's injury occurred in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals. As he dribbled the ball through his legs, he planted his left foot to make a move toward the basket. Unfortunately, though, his Achilles gave out and that was the end of his Warriors career:
When Durant is cleared for action, he'll be an excellent addition to Brooklyn's roster. The former Texas Longhorns standout made 78 appearances with the Warriors during the 2018-19 regular season, racking up averages of 26.0 points on 52.1 percent shooting from the field (35.3 percent from beyond the arc), 6.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.1 blocks in 34.6 minutes per outing.
Kevin Durant is one of the best scorers of all time, and the hope is he'll be able to return to his previous levels to help lead the Nets to glory. While his injury is a tough one to recover from, his skill level will keep him elite even if he's not quite where he used to be athletically.
In other Nets injury-related news, Kyrie Irving took part in Thursday's practice session. The former No. 1 overall pick has been out of commission due to a shoulder injury.
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