NEW YORK _ There is no injury update on Kyrie Irving, the Nets star point guard who will miss his second consecutive game with a right knee sprain on Wednesday against the Golden State Warriors. But there is an update on Kevin Durant, Brooklyn's brightest star who has yet to play a game since signing a four-year, $164 million contract with the Nets over the summer.
Durant, who ruptured his Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals, has progressed to sprinting. He was running with a football in an empty gym at the HSS Practice Facility in Industry City on Tuesday, then showed off his not-so laser arm throwing the ball across the court.
The progress has been significant for Durant, who could not put weight on his leg at the time of the injury. He has progressed from shooting flat-footed jump shots, to turn-around fading jumpers, to now sprinting at what appeared to be around 75-80% of his top speed.
"He's been doing this," Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said after practice on Tuesday. "It's been part of his rehab."
The Nets have maintained Durant will be out for the season, and the four-time scoring champion, one-time league Most Valuable Player and two-time Finals MVP has not spoken publicly about his injury since his introductory press conference in late September.
Durant averaged 26 points per game through his three seasons with the Warriors and more than 27 points through his nine-year tenure with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
