Kevin Durant participated in his first Nets training camp workout Tuesday, and although it was all solo work, he came out feeling « good » and emphasized that he’s « just taking it a day at a time » as he makes his way back from a torn Achilles tendon.
NEW YORK — A-year-and-a-half after suffering a torn Achilles, signing with a new team and then enduring a long rehabilitation, Kevin Durant is finally able to suit up for the Brooklyn Nets. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, his first « training camp workout » on Tuesday didn’t look like any other one he had been a part of in his 14-year career — after all, it was solo work — but that didn’t matter. « I feel good playing, » Durant said. « I am just taking it a day at a time. » The journey from tearing his Achilles in June 2019 to being prepared to play in the 72-game 2020-21 season was a long one. On Tuesday, Durant said that while he has had aches, bruises, fractures and strains during his time in the NBA, he had never endured a rehabilitation process like this one. « I have been through surgeries and injuries before, » he said in a virtual interview Tuesday, « but the longest recovery was three months. The first phase of the Achilles [recovery] was three months. You can’t walk around, you have to use a scooter. » He said there were few, if any, activities he could get through without assistance early on, and even though Achilles injuries have become more common, the rigors of relearning how to walk, run, jump and do basic cutting exercises on a basketball court shouldn’t be « underestimated.
