The Brooklyn Nets have sorely struggled to get by without Kevin Durant in the lineup since he suffered a knee injury on Jan. 15 that initially warranted an injury timetable of 4-to-6 weeks. He remained sidelined through the NBA All-Star break but is nearing his return.
In the 24 games Durant has been sidelined this season, the Nets have posted a poor 7-17 record (.292) and even posted an 11 game losing streak at one point. With James Harden now a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, the Nets face an uphill climb in the short-term. Kyrie Irving still is limited to part-time status and Ben Simmons is going to seemingly take some time to play.
When speaking to reporters, Nets coach Steve Nash expressed the expectation that Durant will return “within the next week.” It just remains to be seen exactly which part of the next week the return will take place.
“Every day closer,” Nash said, via ESPN’s Nick Freidell “We’ll see. I expect in the next week he’ll be back for sure. It could be quick; it could be the whole week barring any setbacks.”
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There isn’t an update on Joe Harris still as he remains sidelined. However, Nash expanded on the importance of having Kevin Durant back in the lineup—expressing not only is he on the NBA’s greatest ever scorers, but he also is a key part of the team’s defense with his size and length.
“I think with Kevin he’s been a great healer throughout his career,” Nash said. “So the No. 1 thing is to get him back healthy and feeling secure in his health and his body so he can move and be free. When he’s back, obviously he adds a ton to our team on both ends of the floor … one of the greatest scorers of all time. And we also know he helps us defensively; he gives us more size and length. So he’s a big miss for us, and whenever he gets back, he’ll impact our team.”
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When the Nets take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, they will be with recent addition Goran Dragic to play. He has appeared in just five games this season and hasn’t played since Nov. He was signed after reaching a buyout agreement with the San Antonio Spurs.
“We’re going to see how it’s going to go,” Dragic said. “It’s just limited minutes, but I’m happy to finally step on the court after, what, three or four months.”
There hasn’t been much clarity surrounding Simmons’ ramp up process in an effort toward making his Nets debut. Nash mentioned that the three-time All-Star has “not gone to high intensity yet” and the team is “just ramping him up still.”
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There’s been speculation about whether Ben Simmons will end up playing in the Mar. 10 matchup when the Brooklyn Nets travel to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers. With the lack of concrete traction on his ramp up process, it remains to be seen if he’ll play in that game.
