After suffering an MCL sprain during a win at Miami on January 8, Kevin Durant has been sidelined for the Brooklyn Nets’ last five games. Without one of the greatest scorers in the NBA, the Nets have struggled to produce offensive production during that time, going 1-4. According to YES Network analyst Frank Isola, Brooklyn should receive an update on Durant’s return schedule on Tuesday.
Isola remarked on Sunday’s YES pregame broadcast, “I just got word that they would have an update (during) Tuesday’s practice.
Frank Isola says on the Nets pregame show that an update on Kevin Durant’s right MCL sprain will be provided on Tuesday pic.twitter.com/uyMBfYc5h4
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) ClutchPointsApp/status/1617333970265427969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>January 23, 2023
This time last season, the former MVP sprained his MCL and was out for six weeks. Durant would subsequently claim that the 11-game losing runs the Nets had during that stretch, which resulted in their 5-16 record, “derailed” Brooklyn’s season. However, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the franchise anticipates the 12-time All-Star to miss no more than one month this time.
According to sources who spoke to Woj the day after Kevin Durant‘s injury, while he did miss six weeks last season due to a left MCL sprain, there is the confidence that this less serious injury won’t keep him out longer than a month.
Prior to going down, Durant was having one of his best seasons and helping Brooklyn advance in the standings. The 12-time All-Star is leading the league among the 38 players who attempt 16.5 or more shots per game, averaging 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists on 56 percent shooting.
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With Durant sidelined, Kyrie Irving has taken on the enormous responsibility of leading the Nets’ offense. Before scoring 48 points on 18-of-29 shooting in Brooklyn’s 117-106 victory over Utah on Friday, the seven-time All-Star struggled in his first three games without Durant.
After traveling to face the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, Irving and company will play the Philadelphia 76ers back on the East Coast in an effort to gain some momentum.
