After the Brooklyn Nets diagnosed All-NBA forward Kevin Durant with an MCL sprain in his left knee, the franchise expects four to six weeks of rehabilitation before his return, sources told ESPN.
Durant underwent imagery Sunday morning after Saturday night’s injury, and a realistic benchmark for Durant could be a return after the all-star break (February 18-23), sources said. Nonetheless, the organization will err on the side of caution when it comes to Durant’s return.
There was relief around the Nets that the injury wasn’t more serious and hope that he would fully recover in time for the playoffs. Durant left Saturday night’s game after teammate Bruce Brown suffered a knee injury during a second quarter play.
Brooklyn is playing 11 of its next 14 games on the road, so it expects to have a Kyrie Irving-James Harden backcourt together for those games. Irving only plays games on the road due to his unvaccinated status.
The Nets won 16 of 19 games last season when they had Irving and Harden together, but not Durant, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Durant had an MVP-caliber season, averaging a league-leading 29.3 points, along with 7.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists. Brooklyn (27-15) is half a game behind the Chicago Bulls for first place in the Eastern Conference.
