Golden State Warriors Are Smart To Bring Back Kevin Durant Now
By Ti Windisch
The Golden State Warriors may have lucked into the timing of bringing Kevin Durant back, but nonetheless it’s a perfect time for the MVP to return to action.
Kevin Durant is set to return to action for the Golden State Warriors on Saturday after missing 19 consecutive games due to an MCL sprain he suffered in a game against the Washington Wizards back on Feb. 28.
In reality Durant has missed 20 games, considering he got hurt in the opening few minutes of that game against Washington. That’s a lot of time for rust to accumulate and for the Warriors to have adapted to life without Durant.
Stephen Curry is beginning to garner MVP support as the fifth option on the ballot since he’s begun torching teams again in KD’s absence. Golden State has won 13 consecutive games, thanks in part to Curry’s resurgence.
With only three games left, there is a case to be made that Durant could just sit out for the next week and return extra healthy for the Warriors first-round matchup against either the Denver Nuggets or Portland Trail Blazers.
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That is certainly an option for the Warriors, but this way works better for Golden State as long as Durant is truly ready to return. Knowing how this team views their players, especially those of Durant’s caliber, there’s little reason to suspect KD is less than 100 percent ready for action.
Golden State Warriors
There are a few reasons bringing back Durant right now is the smart move. The first is the aforementioned rust. After sitting out for most of 20 games, it will take a few contests to get KD back in the swing of things.
Three games might not even be enough, but the first round can help with that process as well, considering the odds are slim that whichever team snatches the eighth seed gives Golden State a real challenge in the postseason.
The climate of the Warriors right now also helps. This massive winning streak has locked up the first seed for Golden State and role players such as JaVale McGee and Andre Iguodala are playing well at the moment, which boosts the morale of everybody on the team.
If the Dubs had continued to struggle like they did right after KD got hurt, tensions might be higher. As is, this is the loosest the Warriors have been all season. Adding Durant to the mix should make for some even more fun basketball in the Bay.
The schedule left makes this a good time to welcome Durant back as well. Golden State ends with three consecutive home games against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Two of those teams are lottery-bound, with the Jazz being the only one headed for the postseason. Golden State is 7-1 against these three opponents this season, with the one loss coming to the Lakers in L.A. way back in November.
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Three Lakers starters from that game, Timofey Mozgov, Luol Deng and Nick Young, have been deactivated for the rest of the season as part of the Lakers’ blatant tank attempt.
Even if the Warriors decide to rest their starters for game No. 82, they should be able to handle this Los Angeles team.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Warriors coach Steve Kerr play everybody in these games though, at least for a little while. Just as it did at the beginning of the season, it will take some time to get Durant into the flow of the team again.
He’ll be on a minutes restriction in his return, whether it be on Saturday against the Pelicans or Monday against the Jazz (technically, Golden State stated Durant would return against New Orleans “barring any setbacks.”)
Either way, adding Durant to a team that’s just won 13 straight games is just about the best issue possible for a team to handle.
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In typical Golden State Warriors fashion, the timing of his return is pretty perfect as well if Durant does indeed suit up on Saturday in front of the home crowd in Oracle Arena.