The MRI scan on Kevin Durant’s injured hamstring has come back, and Nets head coach Steve Nash called the results “much improved.”
Nash, however, said Durant still needs time to heal and ramp up, and that he will continue to miss games for a couple of weeks.
“But we’re monitoring it and we expect him to make a full recovery and hopefully it won’t be too long,” Nash said. “But he’s probably got a couple weeks of ramp up left.”
Durant has been out since injuring his hamstring in the Nets’ Feb. 13 win over the Golden State Warriors, the second game of their eight-game winning streak before the All-Star break. Including Wednesday’s game against the Pacers, Durant has missed the team’s last 13 games, and has missed another six games this season due to the league’s coronavirus health and safety protocols.
The Nets initially said he would be out “at least two games” but changed their tune when the second MRI returned a result that suggested the team be more cautious with their superstar forward and former league Most Valuable Player.
Nash did not put a definitive timeline on Durant’s return but noted he’s improving, the scan was positive, the hamstring is moving in a positive direction and is healing. Durant, who had not been playing any real basketball nor engaging in full-speed running, is now playing one-on-one and two-on-two.
“So he’s continuing to advance his level of fitness and adaptation. And if he continues to improve and closes the gap on the healing and also puts himself in a position to return safely to play, he’ll be back out,” Nash said. “So we’ll see. That’s kind of up to his body and however long that takes.”
Durant is not alone in his return to play. In fact, he and new Nets forward Blake Griffin have been “ramping up” together.
Griffin has not played a game since Feb. 12 — coincidentally the day before Durant’s last game — after which Griffin and the Pistons agreed it best he stay away from the team while they search for a trade or negotiate a buyout. Griffin and Durant have traveled with the Nets for their brief road trip and are working out and doing their rehab with the performance team together. Griffin, who underwent knee surgeries in back-to-back seasons, said he is completely healthy when he signed with the Nets.
“They’re both in really good shape that they can train and try to get toward adaptation,” Nash said. “The brakes aren’t completely off Kevin, but he can do an awful lot, almost everything. It’s just a matter of being careful with that last little bit of functionality and load, so they’re together. They’re working through their two situations but are kind of in the same boat right now, and I think it’s good for them to have each other to try and push and build together.”
