NBA: 5 ripple effects of Kevin Durant’s Achilles injury

1. The impact on Kevin Durant’s long-term legacy

In a weird way, Kevin Durant’s calf strain was the best thing that could have happened for his legacy in Golden State. Once seen as a luxury to a team that didn’t need his talents, during the NBA Finals, KD became a necessity the Warriors simply didn’t have. The narrative shifted.

Durant’s two championships, in which he was named Finals MVP of both series, now appear to bear even more of his fingerprints. His decision to abandon the Oklahoma City Thunder and “chase rings” appears fully vindicated.

Imagine if Durant had voiced his desire to leave OKC before free agency; if he had said during one of his injuries as a member of the Thunder that he no longer had faith in their medical team and refused to play; if he had forced the Thunder’s hand, and was traded to Golden State to be the final piece of their championship puzzle. If that sounds familiar, it’s because that’s the story of Kawhi Leonard, who has amassed nothing but goodwill during his championship run in Toronto.

Optics do a lot to frame how we perceive players. While Kawhi salvaged his goodwill because he didn’t appear to run away, Durant appeared to run with his tail between his legs to the team he couldn’t beat, and didn’t need him anyway. Now that the Warriors are staring down the barrel of being 1-2 in the Finals without Durant, those optics don’t look so damning.

Unfortunately, for as much as NBA fans will all know the Warriors needed Kevin Durant to take down LeBron James twice, and to get past this Raptors squad, this injury threatens to damage the remainder of Durant’s career. As a player who is likely on the fringe of being top-10 all-time, he will need a quick and effective recovery to regain his meteoric trajectory. Here’s hoping the injury isn’t as severe as feared and that he can do so to cement his legacy on his own terms.