Should Kevin Durant return this season?
It’s been 330 days since we last saw NBA superstar Kevin Durant on the court.
per washingtonpost.com
Durant suffered an Achilles tendon tear in his right leg during Game 5 of the NBA Finals last year. The injury stemmed from a strained right calf he hurt during the Western Conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets that kept him out a majority of playoffs, and Golden State’s quest for a three-peat. Much was made about this injury as many believed Durant shouldn’t have come back so soon due to the high re-injury risks that could ruin his prime. As we look back, of course, he shouldn’t have returned so quickly but an NBA championship and making history were on the line for and those chances just don’t come around often. The following Summer, Durant left GS to join Kyrie Irving on the Brooklyn Nets.
Now looking forward the NBA is in a peculiar position with COVID-19 causing commissioner Adam Silver to suspend the season. Because of this, speculations started arising of a potential Durant return for a playoff run for the Nets due to the delay. The Nets currently sit seventh in the Eastern Conference and would face the current NBA Champions Toronto Raptors if the season resumes and they were to jump into the playoffs. The typical time table for this injury for NBA players is about six to nine months, plus extra time just get back to their normal self. We are still probably two months away from the NBA returning which would make it a full year since the Achilles injury, giving Durant time to possibly make a return. But would that be a wise move for Durant, especially with how last season played out?
Achilles injuries are often regarded as career-ending injuries for NBA players due to the severity of the injury. You can look back as early as the late Kobe Bryant with his injury in 2013. Though he was on the back nine of his career it basically all but ended it as Kobe wasn’t the same player when he returned. Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas is another player who was forced into retirement after his injury in 1994. Rudy Gay is the most recent case who suffered the injury that career took a hit. Before the injury in 2017, he averaged 18.7 points but after returning dropped down to 11.5 points the following season.
With that said, what is unique about Durant’s situation is he different from the players that had this injury. He is one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history and doesn’t rely on his athleticism as others. You think back to that Game 5 when he came back where he started the game guns blazing, shooting the ball very effectively. And not all players careers take a hit, I.e. Dominque Wilkins who was still a force and put up big numbers post-injury. Makes you think Durant with his skill-set could go on and do the same when he’s ready to play which could be potentially this season as GM Sean Marks recently came out and wouldn’t close the door on the possibility.
“Our performance team and training staff have done a tremendous job getting him to this point, but I just don’t know how coming out of this pandemic will affect anybody, let alone Kevin,” said Marks.
There was a video that surfaced back in February of Durant working out, showing the KD of old hitting pull up jumpers.
Marks all but hinted that Durant has since been making great strides saying, “Before the pandemic, he looked like Kevin Durant, and that’s a good thing.”
Looking ahead again if the seasons indeed resumes and Durant was to come back he would potentially be thrust into playoff basketball one way or another with no real game shape to speak off. The Nets, though in playoff seeding now, are still fighting to maintain that spot. And with Irving going down this season with his shoulder injury, he would possibly be without him as well as a head coach since Nets fired Kenny Atkins. On top of that, he has yet to even touch the court with his teammates, and chemistry hasn’t been formed yet with them. Trying to figure that out while making a playoff push is too much of a strain for Durant right now in my opinion.
per BleacherReport
And that’s where I side on this matter and I believe coming back now or if/when the season resumes would be a mistake much like last year. He as well as Irving should sit out until next season when there will be an actual head coach in place to help develop that chemistry and make a run for the title next season fully healthy. There is nothing to gain right now coming back so soon as without Irving, facing the Raptors would be a tall task for the Nets with just Durant coming off this serious injury.
But as we know KD has a mind of his own and will make his own decision when the time comes. Comment your thoughts on whether he should return or not below.
