Could Kevin Durant make his Chase Center debut this season after all?
Durant ruptured his Achilles tendon in his last game as a Warrior in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on June 10, and the Brooklyn Nets star was expected to miss the entirety of the upcoming NBA season while he recovered. The New York Post's Brian Lewis reported Saturday that many around the league don't expect that to be the case.
There is a growing sentiment around many in the #NBA that Kevin Durant could be back this season. Remains to be seen. #Nets— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) September 22, 2019
The Nets will make their first visit to the Warriors' new arena in San Francisco on March 12, 2020. That will be just over nine months after Durant first tore his Achilles, and the 276 days between NBA games would put Durant within the range of other basketball stars who returned from the injury within a calendar year.
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Durant, who announced he would join the Nets before free agency officially began, playing at Chase Center in one of his first games back from the injury would add plenty of intrigue to the building's inaugural season. The superstar recently admitted that he never really felt like he fit in the Warriors locker room, and Durant's criticism of Steve Kerr's offense serves as further proof that Durant was unsettled during his three-season tenure in the Bay Area.
As a result, Durant's short Warriors stint will loom large as long as he remains sidelined. If he's able to return from injury in time to suit up at Chase Center in a Nets uni next March, he'll have a chance to turn the page in what instantly would become one of the most-anticipated matchups of the NBA season.
