Nets news: Kevin Durant's late demotion to bench not a reason to panic

Kevin Durant will play his first game back for the Nets following nearly two months on the shelf, but as it turns out, he will be coing off the bench.

The Brooklyn Nets will be without Kevin Durant in the starting lineup for Wednesday's tilt against the New Orleans Pelicans. There's no need to fret, though, as this appears to be nothing more than a precautionary measure by the team.

Malika Andrews of ESPN confirms that KD is still expected to play in his first game back on Wednesday:

Kevin Durant will not start tonight. Bruce Brown will instead, the Nets say. No need to panic: Durant will still play.

— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) April 7, 2021

This is a sudden development for the Nets, and some panic was warranted. Nevertheless, it looks like this is simply a conditioning issue for Durant, who has been out of action for nearly two months. He will need some time to get back to top form.

Needless to say, this is not going to be a permanent lineup change for coach Steve Nash. The Nets are merely easing their superstar back into action after a lengthy layoff. It would not be surprising if Durant returns to the starting five in Brooklyn's next game, which incidentally, is going to be against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.

Unfortunately, the Lakers will still be without LeBron James and Anthony Davis when they take on KD and the Nets. It's not exactly the championship preview most of us have been craving for. As a matter of fact, knowing how the Nets operate, it would not be a complete surprise if Brooklyn ends up giving Durant the night off on Saturday. We will need to wait a bit more before that dream matchup finally takes place.