Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant’s return was made official by the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. He will suit up when Brooklyn takes on Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans. Durant has been out since February 13 after suffering a hamstring strain against the Golden State Warriors.
The Nets make it official: Kevin Durant is available to play tonight against the Pelicans.
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Kevin Durant Looks Spry During Warmups
Before the Nets victory over the Knicks on Monday, Durant got shots up during pre-game warm-ups and he looks poised for a return.
I’m not sure Kevin Durant missed any of these.
This is what y’all wanted to see
Nets Were Rightfully Cautious With KD’s Injury
What was originally viewed as a hamstring strain that was only supposed to sideline Durant for a couple of weeks turned into a two-month layoff for the 2021 All-Star Captain. According to him, it took a deeper investigation by the Nets medical staff to see just how serious his injury was.
“Initially, I didn’t think it was that bad – just a regular strain. Then we got the second scan, and they say it was a little deeper than that,” Durant said to reporters on Thursday via NetsDaily.
Before his injury, Durant was viewed by many as a favorite to capture his second Most Valuable Player award. On the season he is averaging 29.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists.
“It was one of those things where I’m not feeling a ton of pain, but you don’t want to force one of these injuries and make it worse.”
James Harden Out for at Least 10 Days
A scary development for the Brooklyn Nets is they have a similar situation happening with another one of their stars. Nets guard James Harden will not be with the team for at least 10 days after he suffered a hamstring strain last Wednesday against the Houston Rockets.
Originally Harden sat out of Thursday’s matchup with the Charlotte Hornets and Sunday’s matchup with the Chicago Bulls for what the Nets called hamstring soreness. ‘The Beard’ tried to go on Monday against the New York Knicks but only played 4 minutes as he could feel that something was not right with his hamstring.
A later scan revealed a hamstring strain which the Nets will re-evaluate in 10 days.
James Harden underwent an MRI today that revealed a right hamstring strain, the Nets say. He will be re evaluated in ten days.
Condensed Schedule Has Hurt Nets
The shortened NBA season has taken a toll on many teams as a plethora of stars have missed significant time this season. While players knew an increased risk of injury would be included in the risks of playing a condensed NBA season, it does not make it any easier of a pill to swallow.
Kyrie Irving spoke about the effect it has had on the Nets after Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls.
“As players going out there to prepare it would have been nice to have more of a grace period in the morning to get on the court to prepare the way that we prepare at home,” Kyrie said to reporters of Sunday’s early game against the Bulls via YES.
“We had 115 minutes to prepare for the game as a team, we had 115 minutes to prepare for the game before anybody could get on the court it’s just like unheard of.”
The Return of the Nets three-headed monster will have to be put on hold for a little while longer. However, the return of Durant is something to forward to all by itself.
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Kevin Durant Looks Ready as He Prepares for Wednesday’s Return [WATCH]