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Kevin Durant Gives Honest Reaction to Nets' Struggles

Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant is ready to make a playoff push

Joey Linn

Image via Getty/Nic Antaya
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After 20 games without their superstar forward, the Brooklyn Nets are finally getting Kevin Durant back. The team announced their injury report for Thursday's game against the Miami Heat, and for the first time since mid-January, Kevin Durant was not on it.

Getting Kevin Durant back is the answer to nearly every single one of Brooklyn's problems, as the team has struggled mightily in his absence. The Nets are just 8-19 when Kevin Durant does not play this season, as opposed to 24-12 when he does. Despite Brooklyn's struggles while Durant has been sidelined, his morale and confidence remains high.

"I know a lot of fans that are watching us had high expectations for us coming into the season and expected us to run away with the championship. If you're a fan and you appreciate Nets basketball and what we're trying to build, you'll follow us along this journey," Durant said before his return to the court on Thursday. He is clearly embracing the grind, understanding that there is work to be done, but he wants the support of Brooklyn's fanbase during the process.

Brooklyn's poor play with KD out may have sealed their fate as a play-in team, even with the return of Durant on the way; however, they would still be heavy favorites to win that play-in game if healthy. Brooklyn currently trails the 6-seed Celtics by 4.5 games, and while that is not impossible ground to make up, they will need a red hot Boston team to slow down significantly if they want to escape the play-in.

Regardless of where the Nets end up in the standings, health will be the ultimate deciding factor (along with New York City's legislation) that determines how far they can go in the playoffs.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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