The Brooklyn Nets received some promising news that couldn’t have come at a better time after Coach Steve Nash announced there’s a “small chance” Kevin Durant could make his return to the court against the Celtics.
Steve Nash said there’s a “small chance” Kevin Durant could play in the first game vs the #Celtics coming out of the break, but it’s more likely he takes a little more time. #Nets #NBA
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) February 16, 2022
That would be the Nets’ first game coming out of the All-Star break. Nash made sure to downplay the chance of Durant returning to the lineup for the first time since he sprained his MCL in January.
Steve Nash downplays the chances of Kevin Durant returning right out of the break and says they haven’t really seen yet what kind of condition Ben Simmons is in. Not a lot of reason to predict a quick turnaround after All-Star.
— Brian Mahoney (@briancmahoney) February 16, 2022
Since Durant went down for a month and some change, the Nets have struggled mightily and undergone some massive personnel changes as well, falling to eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a 30-27 record after losing 11 games in a row.
The Nets also decided to trade James Harden and Paul Millsap for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond during a blockbuster trade deadline deal, flipping two players that could turn the tide on both the Nets’ and 76ers’ season.
The two-time Finals MVP is averaging 29.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game for the Nets, enough to garner an All-Star consideration thus far, as well as some MVP consideration before he got hurt.
