Kevin Durant gave his fans a tremor of shock when he injured himself in Toronto. He then enjoyed a longer than usual time overcoming the injury. To be precise, it was after 552 days that the 2-time champion finally stepped on to the court to play for the Brooklyn Nets in the 2020-21 preseason games. 

The Nets have a fresh coaching staff in head coach Steve Nash and assistant coach Mike D’Antoni. Also, they’ve got some new pieces during the off-season to support their duo. But it is KD who is carrying the tremendous burden of expectations on himself, but his ankles seem ready to carry him through the grueling season. 

How dangerous can the new Kevin Durant be?

NBA analyst, Brian Windhorst, recently sat for an interview where he answered a key question about KD’s return. He expressed, “I’ve never seen a player look this good coming off an Achilles injury, as Kevin Durant has. Now he has had the benefit of having over 500 days to recover, we don’t normally see that. He also is a guy who doesn’t rely on athleticism for his jump shot. So he’s particularly adept at returning from his injury.”

The Nets won both of their preseason games, and KD shone in those outcomes. The 32-YO veteran scored 15 points against a not-so-strong Wizards. But he bettered that by scoring 25 points in 27 minutes against the Celtics. 

The celebrated sportswriter further added, “The expectations for the Nets this year is sky high. Durant was maybe the most impressive player in the preseason, which is not something you hear about a guy coming off an Achilles. A lot of excitement in Brooklyn about how he’s gonna start his season.”

Can the Brooklyn Nets live up to the hype?

The Nets are opening their season against the Golden State Warriors. In more than one way, these two sides are more or less facing the same situation. Both the teams have star players coming back from a career-threatening injury. 

Unfortunately for the Warriors, Klay Thompson earlier pulled out from the season because of yet another injury. And now, Draymond Green is ruled out, citing a foot issue. Now it is the killer duo of KD and Kyrie Irving against Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins. 

But all-in-all, the Nets are looking arguably better than many other teams in the Eastern Conference. So their chances of having a flying start are high.

Which team do you think will pose the greatest threat to KD’s Nets?