The Oklahoma City Thunder are going to be without reigning MVP Kevin Durant for the next six-to-eight weeks after the team announced the forward suffered a fractured foot (via ESPN.com).
The Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday said Durant informed the team of “discomfort” in his right foot after practice a day earlier. He underwent tests and the team said in a statement he was diagnosed with a “Jones” fracture — a broken bone at the base of the small toe. It’s unclear how the injury happened.
A six-week absence would put Durant back in the fold to start December. This means that he’s likely going to be out for the first month-plus of the season.
While it’s a huge blow to a Thunder team coming off a Western Conference finals appearance, their success isn’t going to rest on the first 17-20 games of an 82-game schedule.
Durant averaged 32.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists in what ended up being a MVP performance last season. With Durant out of the fold, you can expect shoot-first point guard Russell Westbrook to play an even larger role in Oklahoma City’s offense through the first month or so of the season.
Photo: USA Today