Photo: Associated Press
Durant, one of the highest earning basketball players in the world, signed with the Nets in July 2019 but did not feature in the past season after rupturing his achilles in the 2019 NBA Finals with the Golden State Warriors.
The veteran showed no signs of wear and tear as he shot 56 percent from the field alongside six rebounds and two assists in just 27 minutes of play. The power forward continued to dominate on both ends of the court despite playing very limited basketball in over a year-and-a-half.
The Brooklyn Nets were an outstanding +28 with Durant on the floor in the pre-season fixture, which many have tipped to be the two teams facing off in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Brooklyn coach Steve Nash told Alex Schiffer of The Athletic he expects the two-time NBA Finals MVP to play and potentially guard all five positions on the floor. Despite rumours circling of a trade for Houston Rockets’ star James Harden, the former MVP may not be necessary in the side’s pursuit for a championship.
Durant’s superstar teammate Kyrie Irving marked his return to Boston with an impressive 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists in under 30 minutes on the court. Like most days in the NBA, Irving found himself under scrutiny after burning sage on the Celtics’ court hours prior to tip-off.
The All-Star point guard joined the Brooklyn Nets in free agency of 2019, making the move across the east from Massachusetts to New York. He once famously told a sold-out TD Garden he would be re-signing with the Boston Celtics the following off-season, only to enter free agency and join forces with Durant in Brooklyn.
Durant, Irving and their Brooklyn squad kick off the NBA season on December 23rd against Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors.
Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics begin their campaign on Christmas Eve, taking on reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks.
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