Kevin Durant is set to return to NBA action once the 2020-21 season begins, but there’s still doubt surrounding what version of the Brooklyn Nets superstar will take the floor. A legitimate concern considering the injury he’s returning from.
But between his ability to create offense without displaying too much of his athleticism — thanks in large part to his shooting ability — and his length, Durant has a few advantages over others who’ve had to come back from Achilles surgery.
Still, Durant may not need to lean on those attributes in order to compensate for anything related to his right Achilles. Dr. Laith Jazrawi, the chief of the division of sports medicine at NYU Langone Sports Health, explained to Brian Lewis of the New York Post:
“[Durant is] not an old guy, 36, 37 towards the end of his career. I don’t think it’s like that in him. He’ll do just fine. I don’t see any issue to say he won’t be as good of a player as he was a year-and-a-half ago.
” … I don’t see anything holding him back. The only thing is he hasn’t played for a year-and-a-half, so it’ll take time to get back into the rhythm. Some people are going to say ‘Oh, it’s because he had his Achilles [injury].’ That’s not true. It’s that when anyone doesn’t play for a year-and-a-half, it’s just going to take time to get back into the flow. But he should do fine.”