The Oklahoma City Thunder will be without star forward Kevin Durant for at least a portion of the upcoming season, as the NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player Award winner has been diagnosed with a Jones fracture in his right foot.
The the exact extent of the injury is unknown, Durant expected to miss between 6-8 weeks.
“We are in the process of collaboratively evaluating the most appropriate next steps with Kevin, his representatives, and Thunder medical personnel,” Thunder general manager Sam Presti said in a press release. “Until a course of action is determined, we are unable to provide a timeline specific to Kevin’s case.”
“We’re really fortunate to be catching it when we’re catching it,” Presti said. “Very fortunate that Kevin notified us yesterday, and we’re catching it kind of on the front end, before this became a little bit more of an acute issue.”
Durant led the league in scoring last season, averaging 32.0 points while adding 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. It was enough to win the NBA MVP award.
In the playoffs Durant led the Thunder to the NBA Western Conference Championship where they eventually fell to the San Antonio Spurs.
“You could get hurt walking outside,” Durant said earlier this summer about Paul George’s injury at the United States Summer Camp. “I know you hear that a lot, but you can get hurt anywhere. Just knowing that keeps you kind of levelheaded, and at peace with what happens on that court. If you worry about it too much, you start to get scared a little bit. So I just try not to worry about it.”
For more on sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
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