The Brooklyn Nets have gone 4-14 since Kevin Durant went down with a sprained MCL on January 15 and are in danger of falling even deeper in the Eastern Conference seeding. However, Nets Coach Steve Nash gave Nets fans hope when speaking of the returns of a few key players.
“I’m sure it’s possible, but for me, it’s probably again in the next three games more likely than Saturday,” said Nash on Durant’s timetable to return. He elaborated on the return process:
“In general terms, to return to play, you have to have a number of high-intensity workouts. So playing at full capacity typically three times before you can return without an incident,” said Nash. “He’s [Durant] playing. I would say he’s had one [high-intensity workout]. We’ll see. He seems like he’s getting there. We’ll see how he responds tomorrow, and then we’ll try to get him subsequent workouts.”
As for Nash’s former teammate on the Phoenix Suns and new signee, veteran point guard Goran Dragić, Nash gave a similarly optimistic answer.
“I suppose it’s not out of the question,” said Nash on Dragić playing Saturday. “We have to assess how he comes through today, tomorrow and see where he’s at Saturday. It’s probably less likely he’ll play Saturday, but I think in the next three games, he’s out there.”
Nash also spoke about Ben Simmons, the main piece required in the Harden trade.
“Conditioning,” said Nash on what’s keeping Simmons out. “It’s been a long layoff. He hasn’t played NBA basketball for a long time, so we’re just trying to work through that.”
He also added that it’s ‘unfair’ for him to talk about Simmons’ headspace but was adamant about how ‘excited’ he is for both parties to be together.
