Kevin Durant will not see any real action on an NBA court anytime soon, but the Brooklyn Nets superstar has revealed he continues to make significant strides in returning to full health.
Durant is in the midst of a grueling rehabilitation program after undergoing surgery last June for an Achilles injury. Making an appearance during coverage of the Nets’ 118-79 loss to the Grizzlies on YES Network Wednesday night, Durant highlighted how he has reached another milestone in his recovery and how “difficult” this season has been for him.
“I feel all right. It’s been fun, playing three-on-three with the guys every day,” Durant told Nets play-by-play broadcaster Ian Eagle and analyst Richard Jefferson during the second quarter,” as transcribed by Peter Botte of the New York Post. “I miss the routine. I’ve missed getting up every day and being one of the guys, going to practice, going to shoot-arounds.
“It’s been difficult, being away from the scene. But I’m about nine months out [from surgery], so I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of things.”
There was never any expectation that Durant would play this season, and yet he had to confirm on several occasions that taking the court was never an option. Neither he nor the Nets ever had any intention at any point of deviating from the originally stated plan for his recovery.
The expectations are that Durant will be ready to go for the 2020-21 season, as there continues to be an abundance of evidence that he’s getting much closer to being fully recovered.
Despite the season-long absence of Durant — not to mention how Kyrie Irving’s injury-plagued campaign was put to a merciful end with shoulder surgery — the Nets have somehow soldiered on. At 27-34, Brooklyn is currently slotted as the No. 7 team in the Eastern Conference.
It goes without saying that the Nets could make some serious noise next season, so long as Durant and Irving manage to stay in the lineup.
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