On January 15, 2022, Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant sprained his MCL during the second quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans. As a limping Durant walked off the court and into the abyss, fans were left wondering if and when he would make his return.
That day was yesterday, March 3. Durant, after missing nearly two months with the injury, made his long-awaited return last night, at home against the Miami Heat. Similar to the Nets, the Heat are a team devoid of their true potential, as injuries and other factors prevent their stars from aligning (ergo, playing big games together).
“I felt great,” Durant said. “I’m only going to get better, more comfortable out there. Take more of a load out there, too – when I get more games under my belt – so I felt solid.”
But that did not stop the Heat from finding a way to overcome adversity. The first half of the game seemed to favor the Nets, as they had a 16 point lead going into the second half. However, it was not enough as they squandered the lead to Miami, eventually losing the game by a score of 113-107. Despite Durant scoring 31 points, including four assists and four rebounds, it wasn’t enough.
“I don’t look at myself as that, as a savior,” Durant said. “But I know what I can do and how much I can help this team and what we’re missing as a group, but I’m not trying to go out there and win a game by myself tonight or make it all about me. I just try to go out there and help and be a good teammate and do what I do. I know what I bring to the table and try to do it to the best of my abilities.”
That's a 30-piece for @KDTrey5 pic.twitter.com/hrDT81alL8
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 4, 2022
The Nets currently have quite an impressive roster assembled, but as has been the case for the past few seasons, they just cannot get them to play together for enough time to make a serious impact. While Durant has been injured, Kyrie Irving still cannot play home games due to New York City’s vaccine mandate, newly-acquired Ben Simmons still hasn’t played a game with the team due to “back soreness,” and just last night, it was announced that Joe Harris would miss the remainder of the season due to an ankle injury.
“It could take one game, it could take 20 games,” said Durant on how long it will take the Nets to find their groove. “It’s a matter of just getting out there and seeing what works for us, but it’s not like a certain formula or criteria that goes into [the process]. That’s how you know when you build chemistry, it’s just kind of an organic thing that happens naturally.”
Currently, the struggling Nets sit at 8th place in the Eastern Conference, with a mediocre 32-32 record. Their woes go to show that one man cannot be relied on to carry the team, but rather an effort from the supporting cast is required. But in the Nets situation, who else can they rely on to step up?
What did you think of Durant’s performance last night? Let us know, by either leaving a reaction below or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
