Kevin Durant Opens Up on His ‘Joyful’ First Experience After Returning to Practice Following Injury

Published 10/24/2020, 12:45 AM EDT

Just imagine someone buying a Tesla Model X and then watching it crash in the very first month of the purchase. Now, it will take some time to claim for the insurance and get the car back into shape. But will it be the same Tesla? Fans of the Brooklyn Nets are asking the same question before the return of Kevin Durant back to the play.

Two-time NBA Finals MVP, Kevin Durant, injured himself in June 2019. This was way before he could even debut in the Nets jersey. He ruptured his right Achilles and got forced out of the entire season. He had averaged a career-high 32.3 points in the 2019 post-season before the injury dissolved him.

Can Kevin Durant come back as strong as earlier?

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The news about KD’s quick recovery has been in the air for quite a while now. On several occasions, he had shown signs of a healthier self in those training videos where he was taking some jump shots.

In a recent podcast interview, he was quoted as accepting, “I just appreciate being in the gym, just being there with the other guys… I just have newfound evolved level of joy for it.”

Fortunately for Kevin, the injury happened when he was still having many active years left in his kitty. He was 30-YO when the injury happened. This was certainly better than someone having the same tendon issue at 35 or so.

The 2-time NBA Champion with the Golden State Warriors has been out of play for over 1.5 years now. That’s a huge gap and hence it’ll be tough to just come out and begin giving 35+ minutes on the court, scoring 25+ points.

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The Brooklyn Nets will want him to deliver, just as other greats have done!

The NBA world has seen its stars getting down and then recovering from a similar injury many-a-times. DeMarcus Cousins (27), Kobe Bryant (34), Isiah Thomas (35), and Patrick Ewing (36) are some of the greatest examples who could overcome it and come out stronger. More recently, WNBA’s Breanna Stewart bounced back from one such injury and bagged the WNBA Finals MVP 2020.

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For Kevin, one difficult option would be to evolve his game as per his body’s new requirements. As per NYU Orthopedist, he will do just fine. But his body’s needs and response to the strain of an NBA game will be best known to him.

Will he be able to partner with Kyrie Irving and coach Steve Nash to pull the Nets above the teams like Lakers and Warriors? Will he be able to match his own Player Efficiency Ratings from the past? Only the upcoming season will unlock the details.

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Written by:

Sourabh Singh is an NBA sports analyst for EssentiallySports, who has been working with the site since May 2020. Prior to this, he functioned as Managing Editor at WittyFeed, followed by a stint at Decathlon. The Sports Management graduate leads an active lifestyle, veering to the mountains for off-trail adventures.

Kevin Durant Opens Up on His ‘Joyful’ First Experience After Returning to Practice Following Injury

Can Kevin Durant come back as strong as earlier?

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The Brooklyn Nets will want him to deliver, just as other greats have done!