For the first time in a month, Kevin Durant got a taste of competition. Well, sort of.
Durant on Wednesday went through one-on-one sessions with Warriors assistant coach Willie Green, who is two years removed from a 12-year career as a guard in the NBA.
"He played full-court one-on-one, played some half-court one-on-one to start and then they stepped it up," coach Steve Kerr told reporters prior to the Warriors-Spurs game in San Antonio. "Willie said it was a good workout."
Durant and Green played five games of half-court ball and one with the full court. The active player, for the record, won all six games.
"Kevin got him pretty good, so it's a good sign," Kerr said before flashing a bit of humor. "If Willie had beaten him, I would have been very concerned."
An even better sign for the Warriors is that only one man walked away feeling the burn of competition.
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"Willie said he was really sore," Kerr said. "Not Kevin. Willie."
Durant has been out since sustaining a medial collateral ligament sprain and bone bruise to his left knee on Feb. 28 at Washington. Though there have been no setbacks in his rehab, there is no firm timetable for his return.
"It's impossible to predict that stuff," Kerr said. "But it would be nice for him to get a couple games in at the end of the regular season."
The Warriors plan to re-evaluate Durant next week, after which they expect to plot out his return. There is optimism that he could be back in time to play two or three regular season games in preparation for the postseason, which begins April 15.
