BOSTON — Kevin Durant has become, in some ways, the poster boy of returning from a ruptured Achilles tendon injury. Part of it was that he suffered the injury on the grand stage that was the 2019 NBA Finals. Another part is how successful he’s still been after rehabbing the once-devastating injury.
So whenever a player ruptures an Achilles tendon — whether it’s Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton or whoever — Durant is often asked for his thoughts on the rehab process. Durant shared what he thought was the hardest part of returning to the court after the Rockets beat the Celtics on Saturday.
“Just the speed of the game, to be honest,” Durant said. “Pace is something that you develop over time as you get more experience in the league. And then being out for a whole year, you kind of miss that pace of the game. When I first came back, everything was fast. I was coming off a pindown (screens) 100 miles an hour. I was trying to score so fast. I was trying to contest shots without slowing down, so it’s a lot of stuff you just gotta get used to.”
Durant was optimistic when it came to Tatum’s recovery, which has turned heads around the league. It’s been around 5.5 months since Tatum suffered the injury in mid-May, and it’s unclear when he’ll return to the court. But videos of Tatum working out or even dunking have Celtics fans optimistic their star player will be back soon.
It’s also been six years since Durant suffered his injury. He pointed out how there have been advancements in medicine to make the rehab process smoother. Durant was forced to miss the entire 2019-20 season due to his injury, though that year was also disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tatum is still rehabbing his injury behind the scenes. He has been in the public eye, though, as he’s traveled with the team and been around the Celtics. Durant hasn’t spoken to Tatum much since the injury, but he was impressed following the Celtics star’s progress from afar.
“I think it’s feasible, but I think it’s good to have that option on the table to know that he can come back,” Durant said. “But it’s such a long ways away from now. I just feel like he’s just taking it day-by-day and see what happens with the team, see what happens with his body. Make a decision at a later date. It’s cool to keep it open, I guess, to play, and he just loves to play, man. He’s a gamer.”
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