Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets has been off the court since an MCL sprain took him down on January 8.
During that time, the Nets have definitely experienced a lot of ups and downs, showing some promise but some serious weaknesses too.
They have been waiting for Durant’s imminent return.
They will have to wait a bit longer.
Kevin Durant Medical Update: pic.twitter.com/3dGyrIju5P
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 24, 2023
The team announced Tuesday that Durant is progressing and that the team’s doctor is “very pleased” with his recovery so far.
However, they said that he will not return to the court this week and will be reassessed in another two weeks.
That means the Nets will be without their MVP for games against the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, and others.
What does this mean for them?
Doing It Without Durant
It essentially means that guys like Kyrie Irving, Nic Claxton, Royce O’Neale, and others will need to keep holding things down and striving to work even better as a unit.
The Nets lost four in a row without Durant but they came back to life in the last two games, taking down both the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors on the backs of Irving, Claxton, and O’Neale.
Claxton has been especially impressive lately.
On Sunday night, he produced 24 points and 15 rebounds and was a pivotal part of overtaking the Warriors.
As for Irving, he has seemed more tuned in than ever and very comfortable leading his team and helping them dig deep.
You can expect to see more from others like Seth Curry too, who has been finding his rhythm lately.
It looked like the Nets were going to be in serious trouble without Durant but they may be figuring themselves out.
They will need to keep that up for at least two more weeks.
NEXT: Kyrie Irving Has Put The Past Behind Him