After Monday’s team practice, Nets star Kevin Durant explained that he believes his sprained MCL in January, and the subsequent time he was forced to miss, “derailed” his squad’s season.
“To be honest, I feel like our season was derailed by my injury,” Durant said, per ESPN. “So I’m not looking at it like we’re just not a good basketball team. It’s like there wasn’t a lot of continuity with me and Kyrie [Irving] out of the lineup, that’s just what it is. When we’re all on the floor together, I like what we got.”
On January 15, Durant sprained the MCL in his left knee against the Pelicans and was sidelined for over a month. While he was recovering, Brooklyn struggled and went 5–17 in his absence. Before the injury, the Nets were 27–15.
It’s been a season of what ifs for the Nets and the trend continues. Irving has just recently been made a full-time player after only appearing in away games due to New York City’s private sector COVID-19 vaccine mandate. And Ben Simmons, who was acquired in a trade that dealt James Harden to the 76ers, was ruled out for the rest of the regular season and play-in tournament as he recovers from a herniated disc in his back.
If any combination of these players were on the floor for Brooklyn, the team would likely be squarely in the playoff picture—but that’s just not the case. The Nets (40–38) are the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference and will compete in the play-in tournament that starts April 12 to keep their season alive.
