Getty OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - MAY 08: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after the Warriors scored a basket against the Houston Rockets during Game Five of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at ORACLE Arena on May 08, 2019 in Oakland, California.
Kevin Durant’s injury continues to be the focal point of the NBA finals, with some wondering if we have seen KD’s last game in a Warriors uniform. Durant traveled with the team to Toronto for the first two games of the series but has yet to practice since sustaining a strained calf against the Rockets earlier in the playoffs.
Durant has been ruled out for Game 1 and Game 2 looks unlikely as well. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr emphasized Durant will have to practice before he can play in the NBA finals. CBS Sports’ Reid Forgrave reported that Durant’s next step would be resuming basketball workouts.
“Steve Kerr: Says KD’s next step is individual court work. Not playing Game 1. ‘Hopefully he can practice…we have to see him in practice before he can play a game, and we haven’t seen him in practice yet,” Forgrave tweeted.
With Durant yet to practice and his free agency beginning in a month, there is some speculation he may not play at all in the NBA finals. The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported on The Ringer NBA Show podcast that there is “chatter” Durant could miss the whole series.
“Put it this way, there is some chatter that it could be the whole series,” O’Connor noted.
The Mercury News reported Durant has done individual work on the court but has yet to resume practice.
Durant has completed individual drills in recent days as part of his rehab on an injured right calf. But Durant has yet to receive medical clearance for any contact drills since injuring his calf against the Houston Rockets in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals on May 8.
“That will be the priority in the next couple of days,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Durant’s individual court work. “Hopefully he can ramp that up. Then he’s going to have to practice. We have to see him practice before he plays in a game. And he hasn’t practiced yet.”
Durant Has Spent the Time Off Defending His Legacy
“It’s been that way since I got here, it’s the Warriors and KD.”
– Kevin Durant on fans and the media splitting him from the team
The Warriors have yet to lose without Durant in the NBA playoffs. This has caused some to throw out the idea that the Warriors are a better team without Durant, a notion the All-Star has been vocal about rejecting. As Durant continues to recover from his injury, KD has been on social media defending his name.
“I’m a human being with a social media account,” Durant told Sports Illustrated. “I can see if I ventured off into politics or culinary arts or music and giving my input. But I’m sticking to something I know. I’m qualified to talk about basketball. I’ll respond to something, especially if it’s about me personally.”
Durant Initially Feared He Had a Torn Achilles
As for Durant’s injury, he noted before the finals that it is worse than his previous two injuries. San Francisco Chronicle’s Connor Letourneau reported that Durant initially feared he had a torn Achilles.
“Kevin Durant confirmed that his calf injury is worse than his previous two calf injuries…Kevin Durant said he was initially worried that he had torn his Achilles. But when he was able to put weight on it, he felt much better,” Letourneau tweeted.
Like many fans, Durant also thought of Kobe Bryant and DeMarcus Cousins immediately after the injury.
“I pushed off to run down court and I felt somebody trip me up,” Durant noted, per NBA.com. “First thing that came to mind, ‘Boogie (Cousins) said, Kobe (Bryant) said…’ that it felt like somebody kicked them (after they tore Achilles tendons).”
