Preseason games usually aren’t highly anticipated, since this is a time when teams don’t give their starters heavy minutes as coaches tinker with their lineups just before the start of the regular season. But Sunday’s preseason meeting between the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards was different because it featured the return of Kevin Durant, who played his first game since tearing his Achilles in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals.
It had been 552 days since Durant suffered the injury as a member of the Golden State Warriors. After the injury, KD joined forces with another perennial All-Star in Kyrie Irving but missed all of last season. Durant and Irving shared the court for the first time since signing with Brooklyn, and the early results were promising in a 119-114 win.
Durant, the 2014 NBA MVP, saw action for 24 minutes, finishing with 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting while adding three rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Irving finished with 18 points on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting while adding four assists.
While there are obviously caveats here about this performance against a Wizards team playing without Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal, there was a lot to like from Kevin Durant’s return. Just seeing him back on the court in a Nets uniform as he put shots up during warmups was already a win for Brooklyn, but the 32-year-old did more than that:
The comeback is on.
🎥 15 points in the preseason debut for @KDTrey5 🎥 pic.twitter.com/tPywmhuTIN
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 14, 2020
Knack for scoring
Aside from the fact that he and former teammate Russell Westbrook seem to have buried the hatchet, Kevin Durant’s knack for scoring seems to have returned even after the long road to recovery. An Achilles injury is one of the most difficult for athletes to overcome, as it usually diminishes their athleticism, but the 10-time All-Star’s first basket was a dunk after blowing past a defender to put Brooklyn on the board early in the first quarter.
Durant’s nearly unblockable jump shot also made an appearance on Sunday, as he repeatedly pulled up over different Wizards defenders for easy baskets. Even though he missed his only two attempts from beyond the arc, the former MVP was aggressive and managed to score early on, driving and attempting one-legged jumpers inside the lane to help the Nets get off to a hot start.
It will likely take some time for Kevin Durant to get acclimated to his new teammates, head coach Steve Nash’s system, and the grind of an NBA season after such a long layoff. But seeing him drain difficult jumpers from all over the court on Sunday brought a sense of normalcy that one of the league’s best players is back doing what he does best.
Chemistry with Kyrie Irving and teammates
One concern regarding the Nets’ lineup heading into the season is that they have a lot of players who need the ball in their hands to be effective. On Sunday, that didn’t seem to be a problem. Brooklyn finished with 23 assists on 38 made field goals, with Kyrie Irving finishing with four and Kevin Durant ending up with three.
The two All-Stars also gave fans a glimpse of what’s to come in the regular season in the second quarter after Irving threw a long pass that landed right into the hands of Durant for an easy basket, with the connection proving that they can be effective as teammates. This was wonderful to see:
7-11 is 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍 pic.twitter.com/N1rIFeM9TD
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 14, 2020
Durant, who averaged 5.4 assists during his three seasons with the Warriors, also showed that he can find his open teammates, including an assist to Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot for an easy slam in the third period. He’s likely to draw plenty of attention from defenders, and Durant showed that he is capable of finding the open man. His teammates should benefit from such passes as the season goes on.
After more than a year of missing action due to injury, it will take some time before Kevin Durant fully regains the form that made him one of the top players in the NBA and a perennial MVP contender. But on Sunday, he showed that his jumper remains deadly and that he has established chemistry with Irving and his teammates, making the Nets one of the teams to watch out for in the Eastern Conference.
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