Kevin Durant is somewhat familiar with the road to recovery from an MCL sprain, especially when it comes at the inopportune time like it has this season.
Durant went down during the second quarter of the Nets win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Jan. 15 and only two games into the chance to play with Kyrie Irving again. To say it wasn’t ideal would be an understatement.
“It’s annoying, but it’s a part of the game,” Durant said during a recent interview on The ETCs podcast. “You cherish those little moments that we had with each other out there and once we actually get back on the floor together you go back to those moments. Pull from that to make adjustments and figure stuff out on the fly. That’s what we gonna have to do is figure this stuff out on the fly. Games are coming fast and guys are out.
“We had a few test runs with this group and we can lean on that to help us a little bit.”
Durant’s injury was a big blow for the Nets, but not nearly as bad as it could have been. Reports indicated that Durant could only be out for 4-6 weeks, however, the team has never officially released a timeline for his return.
The Nets’ superstar said he’s been feeling good.
“It’s an unfortunate situation to be taken out like that,” Durant said. “It stung for a couple of days, but now I’m getting better and getting back into the swing of some things. Walking around a little different. Things are looking up, but definitely want to be out there with the guys soon.”
Durant joked that while the fall looked hard on TV, it was more like a nudge to him. Having dealt with a similar injury before, Durant was able to tell it was a bit more than just a minor issue.
“I’m glad I was able to take that and come out with a sprained MCL,” Durant added.
Durant went through a similar issue with the Golden State Warriors, who recently defeated the Nets, back in 2017. He suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain and missed 19 games with the Warriors that season.
He did return for the playoffs and helped Golden State go on a 16-1 run in the playoffs on the way to an NBA title that year. one can only hope history repeats itself when all is said and done for Brooklyn.
“At that time the diagnosis was that I was going to be out for the rest of the year,” Durant said. “First year with the Warriors expecting to win a championship. Things were going well for us as a team and you get hit with that then 20 minutes later ah it’s not that bad. That’s how things can change especially when you get that MRI and you get them eyes on what’s going on. You feel a little bit more at ease. The uncertainty really was driving me crazy.”
