After a scary and concerning scene in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, the immediate outlook and future of Kevin Durant remain up in the air. The Golden State Warriors got Durant back in the lineup after he suffered what was said to be a strained calf in the second round against the Houston Rockets.
While it was unknown just how close Durant was to 100 percent at the time of his return, it doesn’t appear that he was entirely healthy or very close to it. During the second quarter of Monday’s game against the Toronto Raptors, Durant attempted to drive but immediately pulled up and grabbed his leg, the same one he had injured just weeks prior.
The concern is at an all-time high over the severity, and many have pointed to Durant dealing with a major Achilles injury. Even beyond that, there’s now concern that the diagnosis of a calf strain from his first setback may not have been true, according to a recent report.
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Kevin Durant’s Injury Worse Than Calf Strain?
During an eye-opening story from Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, he reported that Durant was “not anywhere close to 100 percent,” even though he was cleared to play. But beyond that, Haynes revealed that there’s speculation from league personnel that his injury suffered against the Rockets was worse than just a calf strain.
There was speculation from league personnel that the injury had to have been more than just a calf strain when he originally was hurt in the second-round series against the Houston Rockets.
With that said, Warriors general manager Bob Myers spoke about the previous injury during an emotional postgame press conference after Durant left Monday’s game. As Haynes points out, Myers openly stated again that the first injury was indeed his calf.
“The initial injury was a calf injury,” Myers said. “This is not a calf injury. I’m not a doctor. I don’t know how those are related or not, but it’s a different injury.”
There’s no way to tell at this point whether there’s real truth behind the fact that Durant’s injury wasn’t exactly what it was initially said to be. We may never know the answer to that topic, but it’ll be a conversation over the coming weeks and possibly months, depending on how his new injury plays out.
Kevin Durant’s Leg Injury: Updates & Video
The scene from Monday night is one that’s tough to forget, as Durant was in visible pain and limping immediately after getting up. As SportsCenter showed, he went to the ground, held his leg and was eventually helped back to the locker room by teammates and members of the staff.
Kevin Durant appears to aggravate his calf injury and heads to the locker room early in the second quarter.
During Myers’ postgame press conference, Haynes and Yahoo Sports revealed the Warriors general manager stated that the injury was to his Achilles. A bit after the game, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported (via Adrian Wojnarowski) that the team believes an MRI will confirm a torn right Achilles’ tendon.
The Warriors believe Kevin Durant’s MRI on Tuesday will confirm a torn right Achilles’ tendon, league sources tell me and @wojespn
The next day, The Athletic’s Shams Charania added a new piece of information that Durant will travel to New York to get an evaluation done on his Achilles tendon. Then on Wednesday, the news was revealed that Durant had suffered a ruptured Achilles and underwent surgery, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Warriors All-Star Kevin Durant has underwent surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon.
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Kevin Durant’s Initial Injury Worse Than What Warriors Revealed?