The Golden State Warriors added Kevin Durant in the offseason to create a super team that should have the power to steamroll over the rest of the NBA on their way to an NBA title. While things have looked good so far, there seems to be some doubt about what will happen to the Warriors after Durant went down with an injury this past week. Here is a look at the Kevin Durant injury and how it will affect Golden State.
Kevin Durant's expected recovery time
When it comes to Durant's injury, the Warriors announced that it is a sprained MCL and a bone bruise in the left leg.
According to Golden State officials, Kevin will miss about four weeks. There are six weeks left for the Warriors in the regular NBA season, so that means that Durant could return in time for the last couple of weeks before the NBA playoffs. One thing that Warriors fans have to keep in mind is that the Durant return is speculative and dependent on his recovery.
Kevin Durant's history with injuries
This isn't the first time that a Durant injury has affected a team headed to the playoffs. In the 2014-15 NBA season, the Oklahoma City Thunder were poised to make a playoff run but fell behind early when Kevin went down with a Jones fracture in his foot. He missed 17 games, returned, and then sprained his big toe.
He ended up undergoing foot surgery and missed the rest of that NBA season. Without Durant, the Thunder missed the postseason for the first time in six seasons.
Golden State Warriors without Kevin Durant
The good news for the Warriors is that they should survive just fine without Durant in the lineup. They made it to the NBA Finals the last two seasons thanks to Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson.
While Durant is the leading scorer for Golden State this season, they still have their other three All-Stars. If they can make the NBA Finals with Curry, Green, and Thompson, they can make it to the playoffs strong without Durant in the lineup. It also helps that Golden State was the first team to clinch a playoff spot with six weeks to go, thanks to a 25 game lead over the ninth place Sacramento Kings. The Kevin Durant injury should only keep him out until the playoffs, and then the Golden State Warriors will remain the favorite to win the NBA title.
