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Former NBA players, Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, started their latest episode of “All The Smoke” discussing the Brooklyn Nets and Kevin Durant. The Brooklyn Nets reported that Durant was diagnosed with a sprained MCL in his left knee and will require rehabilitation. He is expected to be out for four to six weeks.
Kevin Durant has battled quite a few injuries the past few seasons, including this one. The Brooklyn Nets will play without their leading scorer, passing the responsibilities to James Harden and Kyrie Irving. Stephen Jackson responded to Matt Barnes’ question on the Nets’ outlook, saying:
“It sucks man. It sucks they going through enough. This is where for my own selfish reasons, that I wish KD would get in a weight room.”
The incident that caused the injury was out of Kevin Durant’s control. His teammate Bruce Brown accidentally fell right on his knee. Durant’s height and athleticism give him an advantage on most nights, but his slender frame and skinny legs have often been a problem. Stephen Jackson went on to elaborate, saying:
“You know, make them legs a little stronger. Even though he’s so great – I know they say ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ – but if he can make his legs little stronger, his body little stronger, you can imagine what type of player he would be.”
Take a look at what Giannis Antetokounmpo has done over the years. He has spent time in the weight room and can now assert his will in the paint. Kevin Durant doesn’t need that kind of brute force, but he needs to focus on strengthening his body to prevent injuries. Stephen Jackson even points out how LeBron James is at the top of his game for this very reason, saying:
“I know that’s not in his [KD] character, in his DNA, but weights and strength prevents a lot of injuries. That’s why LeBron hasn’t really been so injured, cause he’s a big-time guy in the weight room.”
Kevin Durant’s absence will affect Eastern Conference standings
The Brooklyn Nets are currently third in the Eastern Conference standings after playing 44 games. Before the injury, Kevin Durant played in 36 games, averaging 29.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists. He has been the driving force behind the Nets’ offense and leads the league in scoring. Jackson highlighted the impact of Durant being sidelined, saying:
"It is going to hurt the Nets, really knock them off their game. They might slide, might slide in the Eastern standings with KD out. So, it’s going to hurt them, but like I said, for my selfish reasons – these are the times I wish he was in the weight room."
In Durant's 2-game absence, the Nets lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 114-107 and won marginally against the Washington Wizards, 119-118. Kyrie Irving, limited to playing only in Brooklyn's road games, was their saving grace in the match after recording a season-high 30 points. LaMarcus Aldridge also stepped up with a significant contribution of 27 points, shooting 73.3% in 32 minutes.
The Brooklyn Nets will have to extract winning performances from multiple players on any given night. Kevin Durant’s scoring is a big hole to fill, considering how easily he can rack up points. Apart from Harden and Irving, LaMarcus Aldridge and Patty Mills will have crucial roles to play as well.
Guess the Lakers players!
