Since Kevin Durant went down with an injury, there has been very little for the Brooklyn Nets to smile about. An 11-game losing skid coincided with James Harden forcing a move from the Nets which resulted in the Big 3 going through a massive change. The Nets went from the top of the Eastern Conference straight into the play-in spots and now face a bit of an uphill battle.
Durant’s return from injury provided Brooklyn with a nice boost, even though they lost to the Miami Heat on his return. KD looked a lot like himself on the court, which bodes well for the Nets as they also try to bring Ben Simmons into the picture ahead of the playoffs. And it’s not all gloomy in Brooklyn, Durant has his sense of humor intact, as he showed in the press conference after the loss to the Heat.
Journalist: “How did you feel, your first game back in 47 days?”
Kevin Durant: “I feel great. I’m only going to get better, more comfortable out there. You know, take more of a load out there too. Pause.”
Durant was obviously talking about taking up the burden on offense created by James Harden leaving and Kyrie Irving’s intermittent absences. However, the innuendo was clearly not lost on KD, who hit everyone with the pause after realizing that what he said about taking a load could be interpreted in an entirely different and weird context.
There was nothing weird about how Durant performed on the court after his month-and-a-half long absence, he managed to get 31 points. Durant has spoken about getting the team together and in rhythm and the Nets are just 4.5 games out of an automatic playoff spot. If KD can finish the season strong, then they might still be able to avoid the play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference.
