The Golden State Warriors will be without their superstar forward for an indefinite amount of time. Kevin Durant will be sidelined with a Grade 2 MCL sprain and a bone bruise. He will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
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Golden State will take that diagnosis. Last night, the Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Durant and the Warriors feared the worst. He wrote that they were bracing themselves for bad news that KD would be out for months instead of weeks.
Durant’s sprain is more severe than the one that Stephen Curry sustained during last year’s playoffs, but it’s not the end of the world. Everything points to a Durant return at some point during the season. The question isn’t “will he return?” it’s “can he get into a rhythm in time?”
There’s about six weeks until the start of the postseason. If the evaluation in a month reveals that he is ahead of schedule, he could potentially return before the playoffs and get a few games under his belt before their run. Of course, that’s best case scenario.
Kevin Durant is in "good spirits" thanks to Wednesday's diagnosis after sources say his bruised tibia was initially feared to be fractured.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) March 1, 2017
If the four week re-evaluation shows that he needs more time, then Golden State would probably miss him for the first round of the playoffs. Barring any major setbacks, Durant’s return should come no later than the second round of playoffs. That means that a team with Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green have to win just four games without him.
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Considering how it looked and Wojnarowski’s report, a Grade 2 MCL sprain with a bone bruise is not bad. All things considered, Golden State would take that.
These next 22 games will be important for Curry and the rest of the team as they try to work out rotations, re-learn how to play without Durant, and fight for homecourt advantage.