Is Kevin Durant Back?

Is Kevin Durant back to his MVP form?

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant came into last season with high expectations. He had just won an MVP award and could have had a shot at an NBA title if it hadn’t been for an untimely injury to Russell Westbrook in the first round of the playoffs.

Unfortunately for Durant and the Thunder, he was never able to get his season rolling and was limited to 27 games before finally being shut down for the year after undergoing foot surgery in March. Westbrook was left to lead the team on his own in the brutal Western Conference and the Thunder ultimately missed the playoffs wondering what could have been.

When training camp rolled around, there were a lot of questions about Durant’s foot and ability to stay on the floor. The kind of foot injury he had is known to linger and cause problems for extended periods of time if not healed correctly and given the proper care and attention.

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Just one year removed from being on top of the basketball world, Durant had something to prove; he could stay on the court and would still be the dominant scorer he was before the injury.

The chip on Durant’s shoulder has elevated his game to another level, and he has dominated most games he has played in. He is shooting career highs from the field and from the three-point line while increasing averages in rebounding, assists and blocks from last season’s limited time on the court.

He has also been his usual clutch self, recently hitting the eventual game-winner with five seconds left against the Clippers on Monday night.

Durant is well on his way to having another 50-40-90 season, shooting 52.7 percent from the floor, 44.2 percent from deep and 88.4 percent from the line. With a career free throw percentage of 88.1 percent from the charity stripe, he could very likely end up finishing the year with another record-breaking year in efficiency.

The Thunder are one of the hottest teams in the NBA, winning eight of their last nine games, and Durant has been one of the key cogs in the engine driving OKC to all of their recent success.

Durant’s play suggests he’s officially back, but he needs to string more consecutive appearances on the court together. After straining his hamstring on the last play before halftime of a Nov. 10 contest against the Washington Wizards, KD was held out of the Thunder’s next six games.

If KD is able to stay healthy for the next 20 games or so, he will officially be back, and if he continues to produce at the rates he has been all season, he will be back in the MVP discussion where he belongs.

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But until then, the Thunder will keep their fingers crossed about the health of their superstar scorer’s lower body and hope he can stay on the court. The only thing that could hold Durant or Oklahoma City back from being title contenders is the injury struggles he has been going through since last season.