Many around the league are hopeful Kevin Durant can make his debut with the Brooklyn Nets next season and return to being close to the superstar he was before. Yet some others in league circles believe a combination of his age (will be 32 years old next season) and the severity of his Achilles injury could keep him from being the same superstar many have grown accustomed to seeing.
“I think Durant will probably have the worst year of his career,” an executive told ESPN's Tim Bontemps. “No fault to him, but people don't come back from Achilles injuries and tear the league up.
“It's all relative. In the worst year of his career, he might be the 25th-best player in the league, and they might win 50 games. I just don't see them being a realistic contender barring some moves.”
The track record is there. The Nets forward's former teammate DeMarcus Cousins struggled to get back to having the same drive and explosiveness he had in his heyday, admittedly having some good and some bad days following the injury.
Cousins was a shell of himself all season long and showed why so many around the league were hesitant to sign him to a long-term deal and why his phone was silent the first few days of the 2018 free agency.
Even the great late Kobe Bryant was never the same after suffering that torn Achilles injury, playing the last few years of his decorated 20-year career as a high-volume, low-efficiency scorer.
Durant's game relies more on the mental side than his athleticism, yet one would be naive to think that a year-long injury wouldn't take away from his mobility and his confidence, considering his status as one of the league's shiniest stars.
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