Kevin Durant says he’s not going to rush back to the court
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Kevin Durant rolled in on Tuesday to speak with reporters for the first time since undergoing surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his right foot. Like actually rolled in, on a scooter.
With a cast almost up to his knee, he sat down at the table and first asked if his toes were poking out. Confident they weren’t, he took more than 13 minutes worth of questions, ranging from his outlook to how he thinks Russell Westbrook will play.
“It’s definitely a different experience for me,” Durant said. “I’ve never been injured before but the Thunder’s been great to get me to the best surgeon and rehab has been going well so far. Everything is progressing and I’m looking forward to these next few weeks of getting better.”
Durant is set to be re-evaluated in a little more than five weeks, but he said he’s not in a hurry to get back on the court.
“I’m not going to rush it all. That’s the one thing I don’t want to do,” he said. “I’m sure I’ll feel better in two or three weeks, but definitely don’t want to rush it and wind up hurting it even more. I’m taking my time with it. I’m just blessed it happened early in the season where I can get past it and hopefully by December I’ll be ready to play.”
Durant is taking his time off to not just heal — obvs — but to try and gain a bit of a new perspective on his team while also developing more leadership skills.
“I feel like Nick Saban, just rolling around in my scooter from court to court giving advice and trying to help out as much as I can,” he said. “I’m looking at the positive side of it. It’s a win-win, basically. Because I’m learning a lot while I’m out about the game and my teammates are getting lots of opportunities because there are a lot of minutes out there to help the team.”
With Durant out, more responsibility will fall to teammates like Jeremy Lamb, Reggie Jackson and Perry Jones to step up. But most of all, as everyone knows, it’s Russell time.
It’s a fascinating thing about the Thunder, knowing they can lose the league’s MVP and not just retain their relevancy, but maybe become even more interesting. How will Westbrook play? How will he lead? Will he go insane with power? Will he crush the NBA and showcase how great of a player he is? WHAT WILL HE DO?
“Nothing has to change,” Durant said of Westbrook. “Just stay who he is and continue to play the way he plays and everybody is going to follow. He’s going to do a great job. I’m not worried about Russ.
“[He] may get more opportunities now, but you don’t have to change what you do,” Durant said. “He knows that. He’s a smart player. He knows we all have to do it as a team and it’s going to be fun. I’m excited to see the team play.”
As Durant said on Tuesday, he’s not a guy that’s been injured much. He’s only missed 16 games total in seven seasons, mostly from sprained ankles and small tweaks. He’s a complete basketball nutjob, playing the game at every moment he can. He even said he’s been on the court taking shots while sitting in a chair during his time out so far.
“I’ve been antsy since I came out of surgery. I seen that Cleveland and Chicago game last night and I wanted to get out there and play,” Durant said. “But as a competitor, I just love to play basketball. That’s all I’ve been doing and injuries have never had me out this long, but it’s part of the game and I understand that.”
