After missing six weeks due to a fractured right foot, reigning MVP Kevin Durant made his highly anticipated return for the Oklahoma City Thunder last night against the New Orleans Pelicans. For the Thunder, it means that both of their superstars are back on the court, as point guard Russell Westbrook made his own return last week.
Durant and Westbrook started participating in team workouts about two weeks ago, so their returns were expected. With both back, it breathes new life into the team at the perfect time. Durant is the team’s leader, and his presence was missed very much in the first 16 games for the Thunder. With a loss to the Pelicans last night, the Thunder now stand at a mere 5-13.
Durant played very well in his return for the Thunder. He finished with 27 points on 9-18 shooting and 6-7 from the free throw line. Doing this in only 30 minutes should be a very good sign for his comeback. He seems to be picking up right where he left off from last season regarding his scoring, though his turnover problems continued as he had five turnovers in the game. It will be interesting to see how much Durant gets his teammates involved before he himself hits full stride. We saw him as more of a facilitator last year, and he did very well distributing the ball. Watching Durant in his first few games back will be very interesting.
Don’t expect to see much of a minutes restriction for Kevin Durant. He seemed to play just fine last night while probably being able to play more. It was obvious to tell Durant missed being out there with his teammates, so expect to see him bring a high sense of urgency to this team. He’s focused on getting this team to being back to one of the premier teams in the league, and I think he’ll be able to do just that.
It’s going to take time for Durant to get back into his groove as the best scorer in the league, but expect to see him eventually get on a roll. He knows how hard it is to make the playoffs in the Western Conference, and considering the Thunder’s early season record, getting back to .500 and making the playoffs might be Durant’s biggest challenge yet.
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