NEW YORK — After missing six weeks that turned out to be catastrophic and franchise-altering for the Nets, Kevin Durant is back. The superstar small forward will return Thursday night in Brooklyn against the Eastern Conference-leading Heat.
Durant sprained the MCL in his left knee against the Pelicans on Jan. 15, knocking him out for 21 games over the last six weeks. The Nets have tumbled down the standings in that time, going 5-16 without Durant after a 27-15 start to the season.
He was an MVP front-runner before going down, averaging 29 points in his 36 games. While he might not play enough games to win the MVP, his extreme value was underscored by his absence as the Nets collapsed. James Harden saw the load he would have to carry in half the games with the unvaccinated Kyrie Irving unavailable at home, and tanked his performance to the point where anything but a trade was untenable.
