The Oklahoma City Thunder may be having franchise star Kevin Durant back soon, as the former Most Valuable Player (MVP) said the hamstring injury he suffered last week against the Washington Wizards is feeling better.
Since the injury, the Thunder missed Durant in their past three games, which include a win over the Philadelphia 76ers (102–85) and losses to the Boston Celtics (100–85) and the Memphis Grizzlies (122–114).
"Hamstrings are a little different. You can re-injure them pretty easily if you try and play through it, or as we say now, 'Be tough.' I call that being dumb," Durant said, according to ESPN.
He added, "But hamstring strains you can't really try and play through it. Just got to get it right and make sure everything is perfect when I come back to play."
Durant wants the injury to fully heal first before returning to action, unlike what happened last season when he played with a Jones fracture that limited him to only 27 regular season games.
Despite missing a number of games, the 27-year-old is downplaying the injury and said that as long as he does not need to undergo surgery, it is just a minor setback.
In eight games played so far this season, Durant is averaging 28.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, three assists, and 1.3 blocks in 34.8 minutes of action per game.
Oklahoma City was 5–3 with Durant playing but in his absence, the team is currently at 1–2. With the franchise star likely to miss one more game, other Thunder players aside from Russell Westbrook must step up.
The Thunder's record stands at 6–5 as of now and they are sixth in the Western Conference standings.
Up next for Oklahoma City is a three-game home stand against the New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks, and the Dallas Mavericks, before hitting the road again to take on the Utah Jazz.
