Kevin Durant getting closer, but probably won't play on Saturday when Nets face Bucks
Nets forward Kevin Durant looks on against the Pelicans in the first half of an NBA game at Barclays Center on Jan. 15. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Steve Nash has not ruled out Kevin Durant for Saturday against the Bucks in Milwaukee, but he made it clear before Thursday night’s game against the Celtics that that is not likely.
"I’m sure it’s possible," Nash said, "but for me it’s probably in the next three games more likely than Saturday."
Durant last played on Jan. 15 because of a knee injury – the Nets were 4-13 without him before Thursday night - but he has returned to full practice.
Nash said Durant has been through one high-intensity practice, but the coach considers three such workouts a minimum benchmark to return to play.
While it appears that will not happen against the defending NBA champions, Durant clearly is getting closer.
The Nets host the Raptors on Monday and visit Toronto on Tuesday before hosting the Heat on Thursday, so it appears he will return for one of those three games.
Nash said that veterans such as Durant are given more "leeway" in deciding when they are ready than a younger player might be. So the team will listen to what Durant has to say, and will resist any temptation to rush him.
"We don’t want to risk him for two or three games at this point," Nash said. "We want to make sure he feels confident on top of the performance team, so we can have him for the long haul and not for a couple of games that are jeopardizing the rest of the season."
The fact the Nets are facing the team that eliminated them from the playoffs last season in a game that figures to have added intensity will not make the Nets more cautious about Durant.
"We play with the same intensity every night, so I don’t know what you’re alluding to," Nash said, jokingly chiding a reporter for suggesting some games are more intense than others.
Ben Simmons, whom the Nets acquired from the 76ers earlier this month, is further from playing than is Durant, Nash said, as he continues to work on his conditioning after not playing at all this season.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.