LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 21: Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant # 7 looks off the bench … [+]
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Kevin Durant has not played for the Brooklyn Nets since Feb. 13 due to left-footed snoring and the team is awaiting the results of the third scan next week before Durant takes the next steps toward returning to action.
The team is waiting to “heal the injury,” head coach Steve Nash said Wednesday on a Zoom call. “Strong, it’s that simple.”
The Nets reported that Durant had an MRI on the hammer on Feb. 26, which was the second of two scans.
When asked if there were any concerns that the hamstring strain was linked to the proper Achilles tear that Durant kept out all last season, Nash said, “Throughout his history, through medical history and assessments , we don’t feel that these two are related to him and he is doing very well at the moment and we all feel very optimistic about the direction he is going but we have to be very optimistic because he’s a very important player for us. ”
Durant averages 29.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists for the Nets (24-13), who are half a game behind Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference. He missed Sunday’s All-Star Game because of the awful pressure, but still chose the Team Durant that lost to Team LeBron, 170-150, in Atlanta.
The Nets initially hoped Durant would return before the All-Star break before later saying he would be out through the break.
“At the first scan, there was bleeding and the image was less clear so I think we understood [with] the second scan was that this was the kind of timeline we were looking at and we can see, that could change, ”said Nash.
“We thought this could be a month or whatever, but who knows what the scan will say, who knows where this will take us and how soon it will be back? “But I think we knew when we got the second scan that this was probably what we were looking for.”
Nash said Durant has been doing some work on the court, but “he’s definitely not doing a 5-on-5, he’s definitely not doing a full-speed run at the court but it does a lot of half-court, short space, shooting, rhythmic work. ”
“He’s been in court, he’s been doing a lot of work, he’s just making sure he had the right healing response in the window than we’ve been here. He had two weeks and a scan and another two weeks and a scan.
“If it’s going in the right direction, that’s the No. 1 thing and then 2, if it’s completely healed. What can we predict that it must take place before it can be fully healed? But he is already on the court, working alone and putting himself in a position to raise that ramp when that scan gives us the relevant information. ”
Meanwhile, the Nets outscored six-time NBA All-Star Blake Griffin, who said he chose Brooklyn “contend” for an NBA tournament. Griffin is listed out for Thursday’s game with Boston due to “managing an injury to his left knee. ”Griffin said during Zoom’s call that he’s not hurt.
Nash now has a selection of face options with Griffin, Durant on his return, DeAndre Jordan, Jeff Green and Nicolas Claxton.
“Who knows what tomorrow will bring so we need to be flexible,” Nash said. “It’s a great place to get out of the way to have choices. A lot of them are just coming back from injuries, you watch Blake, Kevin, Jeff Green, even Nic has recently returned from a long layoff
“We just go slow and bring in lads from day to day to try and achieve the best and find a safe place for the rest of the season but also where we can. for them to succeed and find a place that is so visible and a lot more will be thrown at us I do. ”