Thunder without the MVP
Terrible news for the Oklahoma City Thunder and all of their fans. Reigning MVP Kevin Durant is expected to miss the first 6 - 8 weeks of the season with a fracture in his right foot. Durant was diagnosed specifically with a "Jones Fracture" which basically means he has a broken bone at the base of the small toe. This type of injury doesn't usually occur from a specific incident, but something that happens over time. While typical recovery is 6-8 weeks, every patient can have a different recovery time. Durant was able to play in two preseason games for a total of about 30 minutes. After his last game, Durant notified OKC's team doctors that he had an ache in his right foot.
Durant finished last year's MVP season averaging 32 points, 7.4 rebounds & 5.5 assists while playing in 81 regular season games for the Thunder. To support that Durant's injury is something that usually occurs over time, let's look at the numbers since stats don't like. Durant has played the most minutes of any NBA player in the league since 2007 (20,717 minutes). He even became a surprise withdrawal from Team USA due to all of the wear and tear on his body. Smart move because this type of fracture can only get worse with more use. The Thunder may hold Durant out longer depending on the team's record after the first 2-months of the season to make sure his right foot is fully healed.
Of course when any team loses their best player, this burdens the rest of the team. Good thing that the Thunder have Russell Westbrook to lead the team until Durant returns. This is an interesting turn of events when Durant has to carry the team solely on his shoulders when Westbrook missed 36 games last season. Durant went off on a tear without including the stretch without Westbrook scoring 25 points in 41 consecutives contests.
By Steven Spector - 10-13-14