On November 20, Beijing time, the Nets officially announced that Kevin Durant will miss the game against the Magic due to a sprained right shoulder. This is Durant's first truce so far in the new season, and team reporter Billy Reinhardt said that the shoulder injury may have affected Durant's shooting performance, and he may miss multiple games.
Durant has been treating a right shoulder injury since the Nov. 9 game against the Bulls. Nash said at the time that Durant had twisted his shoulder and that he intended to continue playing with injuries. Now facing the Magic, who have a record of the bottom in the East, Durant can indeed take a break. As the Nets' top scorer, his injuries should also be taken seriously.
Durant, 33, who played just 35 regular season games in 2020-21, is on a good number, averaging 26.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.3 blocks, 53.7 percent from the field and 45 percent from three-point range. So far in the new season, Durant is the Nets' best player and a strong contender for the regular season MVP. He averaged 28.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 16 games. Without Irving, he and Harden led the team to an 11-5 record, the best performance in the East along with the Heat.
Reinhardt said that in the past two games, Durant has shot only 43% of the 35 shots, which may be a good shooting rate for the average player, but for Durant, such a shooting rate may have hinted that his shoulder needs some rest.
Reinhardt also talked about the Nets' schedule. It was the Nets' third game in four days and the ninth in 15 days. Next, on November 27, local time, the Nets only have 3 games, and it will not be surprising if Durant continues to truce. If Durant had been on leave until Thanksgiving, he would have only missed 3 games and could return against the Suns so he could have a 10-day break.
Durant's absence means James Johnson and Bruce Brown will get more rotation time. In addition to Durant, the Nets' Harris, Clarkston and Millsap are also currently in a truce. Can Harden, a single-core fighter, lead the Nets to continue to win?