Kevin Durant’s return is imperative to the Golden State Warriors success, and it could happen within the next few games.
Prior to his injury, Kevin Durant was on an absolute tear. Averaging over 34 points per game, he helped propel the Golden State Warriors through the first two rounds of the 2019 NBA playoffs. Now, they’ll need him to help end them as well.
Durant’s presence wasn’t needed during the Western Conference Finals. The Warriors swept the Blazers with ease. However, like in Portland, the Warriors dug themselves a hole and, against a more complete Raptors team, couldn’t find their way out.
After cutting the lead down to three with ten minutes to go, the Warriors succumbed to a 10-1 run as Toronto ballooned the lead back to 12. The Warriors needed Durant both for that run and to guard Pascal Siakam.
That said, his return is expected in the next few games.
Per Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes, Durant is expected to return ‘midway’ through the NBA Finals. The reality is that could mean he doesn’t come back till Game 3 or Game 4. Kerr already called Durant ‘doubtful’ for Game 2.
"Barring a setback, Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant is expected to return from a right calf strain at some point midway through the NBA Finals, league sources told Yahoo Sports."
After a highly enjoyable Western Conference Finals, too many fans were assuming that the Warriors were better without Durant. That’s just not the case. They’re significantly more versatile on both ends of the court with Durant.
Not to mention they have a walking bucket at their disposal. Against a stiff Raptors team, getting those easy buckets is of paramount importance. They need Durant, and his return would be welcome sooner rather than later.
Durant has been out since May 8. He could potentially have over a month off. A mild calf sprain is supposed to take 2-4 weeks to heal, so let’s hope that he’ll be coming back at full strength, obviously not wanting to get re-injured.
This is a huge development and will be monitored moving forward.