NEW YORK – After a year and a half of Achilles rehab, Kevin Durant returned to the basketball court for the first time Sunday for the Brooklyn Nets’ early game against the Washington wizard.
“I was worried, I was nervous,” Durant later said. “I’ve been visualizing this moment for so long – nine, 10 months thinking about what it will be like, that this will be the next phase of my career.
“So it felt solid to go through this.”
The first points of the game came from an official torrent torrent. He then assisted Diandre Jordan for a dunk.
The Nets defeated the Wizards 119-114. Torrent finished the 5-on-12 shootout from the field with 15 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists in a 24-minute game.
“It was great to get back to a routine and get back on the ground and feel like a player again,” he said. “I didn’t think I played better. I just felt like I had some solid moments.”
One of them was when he made an accusation against Washington’s Rui Hachimura early in the game.
“I definitely feel it now,” Durant said with a laugh. “It’s good to be back in the flow of things. It definitely gives me a little bit of confidence. … It’s a good step, and I’m trying to build it.”
Prior to the game, first-year head coach Steve Nash said he hoped Brooklyn would play both Durant and Kyrie Irving “20 minutes north” in every game before two seasons.
“When you have that kind of injury, Nash said about Tourant after the game,“ It’s remarkable that he’s at the level he is.
“It’s amazing, it’s an injury that very few have won, so to speak. … It’s nice to see him back on the basketball court. I think the world missed him – of course I did.”
Irving, who has not played since February after shoulder surgery that ended the season, finished with 18 points in 7 of 9 shots off the field.
Irving, who played 18 minutes, refused to speak to reporters after the game and continued to violate the league’s media rules despite being fined $ 25,000 on Friday for not speaking to reporters.
During Nets’ weekly training camp, Durant was not prepared to make any announcements about how much his pre-Achilles injury would actually resemble before playing a game. After an early game, Torrent said he was not yet ready to make any announcements.
“I like to play at the highest level of basketball – the highest intensity of basketball, it’s not pre-season,” Durant said. “I want to play at an elite level later in the season, the playoffs. That’s when I want to play my best basketball, so I’m working towards that place.”
Since the end of the game, Torrent said he has been hearing texts and phone calls from friends, colleagues and acquaintances about how he feels.
“I can’t wait until it’s over so I can get things back on track and feel like a guy again,” Durant said. “So this is a good first step.”