Kevin Durant dunks over Nicolas Claxton in Nets' 4-on-4 practice
If you wanted the latest proof that Nets star Kevin Durant will be near or at the same level he played at prior to his Achilles tear, look no further than the practice video that was posted to the forward's Instagram.
Durant is ramping up his work and participating near full strength in p3-on-3 and 4-on-4 practice. Contact doesn't appear to be a problem for him and neither does elevating above the rim and dunking over a 7-foot youngster.
Before the season started, Nets fans had pipedreams about Durant returning, Kyrie Irving leading the charge and Kenny Atkinson getting the most out of his team.
Now reality has hit. Durant, despite progress has already ruled out a return, Irving has shut it down for the year with a shoulder impingement and Atkinson and the organization agreed to part ways earlier this week.
Add on top of that the possibly the NBA will be playing in front of empty stands due to COVID-19, this is not the scenario that fans of Brooklyn have been dreaming about.
The silver lining is this, Atkinson was reportedly fed up with pressure from the players, front office and fans to play star players over the youth movement and while it was either his way or the highway, the Brooklyn coach decided to move on.
Ideally, Irving will have all offseason to recover and comeback fully healthy, while Durant will have a summer of training and a month or so more of rehab to getting to 100 percent.
Sean Marks is starting the head coaching search with Ty Lue, Gregg Popovich and Mark Jackson on the team's short list.
It's been a tumultuous week for the franchise, but if there's anything postitive that can be taken from everything it's that Durant looks to be way ahead of schedule.
