Getty Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant after injury in the NBA playoffs
Golden State Warriors All-Star Kevin Durant has been out for some time with a strained calf.
Durant suffered the injury during Round 2 of the Warriors’ NBA Playoffs matchup against the Houston Rockets.
Many believed that it was an Achilles injury, but the diagnosis has been set at a strained calf.
Per Heavy’s Jeff Smith: It’s believed that a strained calf could hold a player out for roughly six weeks.
If that proved true in this case, even when factoring in that Warriors coach, Steve Kerr said the injury was worse than initially thought, it would set up a return around June 12.
Obviously, that timeline can be changed, but if that were the case, it would mean Durant wouldn’t be back on the floor until a possible Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
Enter expert Pilates expert, Jessica Schatz.
Schatz worked with the Indiana Pacers Wesley Matthews after his season-ending stress fracture in a game vs. the Memphis Grizzlies last season.
If you’re tardy to the party, pilates are core workouts that are used to strengthen your arms and legs.
Schatz spoke with USA Today’s Landon Buford about Durant’s injury:
It all depends on the level of injury. A strain is a tear, or micro-tear, in the muscle fibers. Depending on the grade of the tear (i.e., Grade I, II, or III), it could be anywhere from three days to six weeks, generally speaking. If it is very severe and requires surgery, the rehab process may take longer.
To be clear, based on the fact the Warriors are being extremely vague about Durant’s injury, this is all speculative. They have not revealed how severe his injury is, only that an MRI has confirmed it is indeed a calf strain. They have also said he is still experiencing pain, which means he is not going to play yet — nor should he. Since he has suffered a strained calf previously in his career, I am sure they will be extremely cautious in his return.
You can read the full interview here.
Warriors head coach, Steve Kerr recently stated that the team’s director of sports medicine told him you “really can’t put a number of days or weeks” on Durant’s injury return timeline.
“The right way to put it would be, with a calf injury, there’s kind of a wide range of how long a guy’s going to be out, and so he’s had them in the past where he was out a week or 10 days but right from the beginning, [Warriors director of sports medicine and performance] Rick [Celebrini] was telling me that you really can’t put a number of days or weeks on this,” said Kerr.
“There’s a big range of how long it could be depending on how he responds and how bad the strain is. This one is taking a little bit longer than the ones he’s had in the past, but that’s OK. He’s coming along well and if he continues to improve at the rate he’s improving now, we’re confident that he’ll be back. We just don’t know when.”