The first game of the Brooklyn Nets' superstar trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden did not go as planned, as they got outplayed by the Cleveland Cavaliers, 147-135, in a double-overtime classic.
However, if there's any silver lining from such a devastating defeat, Wednesday's game proved that Durant is back to being 100 percent healthy once more.
The two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP was still pretty upbeat postgame after logging in a season-high 50 minutes for the Nets at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. KD even claimed that he could have played for another 20 minutes, per The Athletic's Alex Schiffer.
With Kyrie Irving finally returning from his self-imposed seven-day leave, Kevin Durant and the powerhouse Nets were finally in full force for the first time this 2020-21. KD put up a team-high 38 points on 12-for-25 shooting from the field and three made 3-pointers, to go along with 12 rebounds, eight assists, four rejections and one steal.
Durant has already proven that he is still the same lethal scorer he was pre-injury, averaging 31.2 points while making 53.4 percent of his field goals and 46.6 percent of his attempts from deep. But playing extended minutes against the Cavs certainly put an end to questions about how ready he is physically following his scary Achilles tear in 2019.
The 10-time All-Star missed what should have been his first season with the Nets last year and also opted to sit out the NBA bubble at Walt Disney World to focus on his recovery. Looks like his patience has certainly paid off and he is more than ready in his comeback season. Scary hours are indeed coming in Brooklyn with KD back to full health.