Kevin Durant Blames His MCL Injury for Brooklyn Nets' 'Derailed' Season

Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant believes that his knee injury in mid-January derailed his team's season.

According to NBC Sports, Brooklyn Nets currently sit as the No. 10 seed in the East at 40-38. However, the team's goal is to be at the No. 8 seed as they continue to fight their way out of the play-in to make it to the play-offs.

Although basketball is a team effort, Kevin Durant took the blame and said his injury changed everything.

"To be honest, I feel like our season was derailed by my injury. So I'm not looking at it like we're just not a good basketball team. It's like there wasn't a lot of continuity with me and Kyrie [Irving] out of the lineup. That's just what it is. When we're all on the floor together, I like what we got," Durant told reporters after Monday's practice.

Brooklyn Nets Star Kevin Durant and His Injuries

Kevin Durant has sprained his medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee on January 15. The said injury occurred when Brooklyn Nets were competing against the Pelicans, Sports Illustrated reported.

Following his injury, Durant was sidelined for over a month. During his absence from the team, the Brooklyn Nets went to 5-17 from 27-15 score when he was still in good shape.

However, it was not the first time that Durant had experienced an injury while playing the sport. In April last year, Durant suffered a thigh contusion in the first half of the Brooklyn Nets game against the Miami Heat, according to Fansided.

The Brooklyn Nets star reportedly had contact with winger Trevor Ariza while driving to the rim. In February last year, Durant also experienced a hamstring injury. The said injury made Durant miss more than half of the Brooklyn Nets' regular-season schedule.

In 2016, he also sustained a grade 2 MCL sprain and a tibial bone bruise in his left knee. In 2014, it was determined that Kevin Durant needed to undergo surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his right foot.

Brooklyn Nets' Ben Simmons Won't Make Season Debut in Regular Season, Coach Says

Brooklyn Nets' coach Steve Nash said Monday that swingman Ben Simmon would not be making his season debut in the regular season due to a health issue, ESPN reported.

According to Nash, Simmons is still dealing with a herniated disk issue in his back. He said he would be "shocked" if Simmons played in the team's play-in game next week.

"He's not running, so yeah... I don't see him [being ready]. I would be shocked," Nash noted.

Nash also gave the fans an update on Simmons' health, saying that the basketball player has made some progress. The Brooklyn Nets coach noted that Ben Simmons could do some work with resistance bands, and he can now shoot.

"I mean that's a big progression just to get here... So he was doing nothing on the floor. But obviously, he clearly started strengthening and doing some light shooting," Nash said.

Nash then noted that the Brooklyn Nets would take every precaution before putting him back on the basketball court.

"I think in this situation, we got to put his health and safety first and make sure that we're certain he's ready to play and contribute," Nash said.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

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