The Oklahoma City Thunder’s outlook for the 2014-15 season completely changed when Kevin Durant was diagnosed with a Jones fracture. He has been ruled out for at least 6-8 weeks and could very well end up missing more than that amount of time. Durant has made it very clear that he wouldn’t be rushing his return, and he will wait until his foot is fully healed before coming back.
Durant on possibly coming back sooner: "Nah, I'm not going to rush it all. That's one thing I'm not going to do."
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) October 21, 2014
Obviously this is a huge hit for the Thunder, as Durant has been the powering force behind their success recently. Russell Westbrook will be stepping up to help fill the shoes of the reigning MVP, but that simply won’t make up for what they will lose on the court. He is smart to play this carefully, as this is the exact same injury that ended up ending Houston Rockets’ superstar center Yao Ming‘s career.
Durant had a huge season last year as you can see from the table below, and finally won his first MVP award.
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 10/21/2014.
He has taken his game to new heights and has become one of the purest scorers that the game has ever seen. His length makes him nearly impossible for anyone to defend against, and the speed and ball-handling ability that he possesses at his size is ridiculous. Needless to say, his shooting percentages are absolutely ridiculous for a player that averages taking 19.5 field goal attempts per game.
While the Thunder desperately need him this season, they cannot afford to rush him back from this injury. Allowing the fracture to heal fully will significantly decrease the risk of fracturing it again, and hopefully will allow him to get back on the court and playing his game without further complications.
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At just 25 years of age, there is plenty of basketball left to be played in Durant’s career and he can’t afford to put that in danger. Westbrook can keep the Thunder in playoff contention for as long as Durant needs, and then he can make his comeback and help the Thunder make a push towards the playoffs.
This news has been tough for the Thunder and their fans, but it’s the right thing for the future of Durant’s career. It will be interesting to see how the Thunder fare without him, and what type of production he has when he does get back on the court.