Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters Saturday that star forward Kevin Durant is still “at least a couple weeks away” from returning to the lineup. It wasn’t an official update -- that’s expected to happen next week -- but it implies that Durant could be back for the final few games of the regular season. After Durant suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain and a bone bruise in his left knee on Feb. 28, the team announced he’d be re-evaluated in four weeks.
“Well, I mean, [re-integrating Durant] is something we’ll consult the training staff on,” Kerr said, via the San Jose Mercury News’ Anthony Slater. “I imagine we’ll ease him back by playing him shorter minutes to start so he can build up his rhythm and his conditioning, but that obviously has a domino effect on the entire rotation. When we get to that point, we’ll figure it out. It’s not something I’m giving a lot of thought to right now because he’s still at least a couple weeks away.”
If Durant comes back in exactly two weeks, then he could play April 8 against the New Orleans Pelicans, April 10 against the Utah Jazz and April 12 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Kerr said “at least” two weeks, though, and it’s too early to say when he’ll be able to fully participate in practice.
Naturally, the Warriors would like Durant to be able to come back in a regular-season game rather than during a playoff series. It continues to sound like they think that will be possible.
