Kevin Durant shines in return from Achilles injury, throws down dunk just seconds into debut
Kevin Durant is back — and it looked like he never left.
Durant, who missed last season while recovering from an Achilles injury, made his debut with the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center on Sunday night in their 119-114 win in a preseason over the Washington Wizards.
“Man, it felt good,” Durant said after the game. “Obviously, the circumstances are different. … It’s the first step for me as a player, getting back on the court, getting back into my routine. It felt good. I felt like I knocked some rust off early on, and I just have to keep building from here.”
Durant didn’t waste any time on Sunday.
Less than a minute into the contest, Durant drove to the rim and threw down an easy dunk to put the Nets on the board.
Durant hasn’t played since the 2019 NBA Finals, when he tore his Achilles with the Golden State Warriors. He then signed with the Nets that offseason, and spent all of last season recovering. The 32-year-old averaged 26 points and 6.4 rebounds per game during the 2018-19 season, which marked his 12th in the league.
Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving give Nets fans first look
He seemed to vibe well with point guard Kyrie Irving almost instantly, too — something that will be critical if the team is going to successfully live up to the title aspirations it has set.
KD directing offense.. Kyrie converts 💪@BrooklynNets on @NBATV pic.twitter.com/fK0jZaweH0
— NBA (@NBA) December 13, 2020
KD and Kyrie in sync already 🧐🤨pic.twitter.com/v3C5F8zuxV
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) December 13, 2020
Kyrie and KD connecting on the court 🍿 pic.twitter.com/Rs311ASTkw
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) December 14, 2020
The two combined for 33 points in the first half while leading the Nets to an 18-point lead at the break. Irving was nearly perfect from the field, too, missing just two of his nine shot attempts in the first 24 minutes.
Durant finished with 15 points, three rebounds and three assists in nearly 24 minutes. Irving dropped 18 points with four assists in 17 minutes.
Though it’s just his first preseason game in Brooklyn, Durant is clearly ready to make up for his lost year this season.
“After such an extensive layoff, he was very good and close to being incredible,” Nets coach Steve Nash said of Durant, via USA Today’s Mark Medina. “He’s going to keep building and being comfortable with that type of injury. It’s kind of remarkable he’s at the level he’s at.”
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