Over the last few seasons the Oklahoma City Thunder have fallen victim to crucial and untimely injuries. The 2014-15 season is starting to look like more of the same as three different Thunder players have been bitten by the injury bug. None being more crucial than reigning MVP, Kevin Durant. Thunder fans don’t need to panic just yet, because unlike the last few seasons theses big injuries have come during the preseason and not the postseason.
Kevin Durant
Durant suffered a Jones fracture in his right foot during practice last week. Team GM, Sam Presti says that the team is still weighing the options on how to treat the Durant injury.
"“After practice yesterday, Kevin made us aware of discomfort in his right foot. We proceeded to perform the necessary imaging studies to determine the cause of his discomfort. At this stage, Kevin has been diagnosed with a Jones fracture. Traditional treatment of this injury requires a surgical procedure and recent NBA cases have resulted in a return to play in 6-8 weeks. We are in the process of collaboratively evaluating the most appropriate next steps with Kevin, his representatives, and Thunder medical personnel. Until a course of action is determined, we are unable to provide a timeline specific to Kevin’s case.”"
Like Presti said, the typical recovery time for an injury like this is between 6-8 weeks, but many medical professionals say that it can sometimes take up to 10 weeks for an injury like this to fully heal. Many are worried that this could become a career altering injury for Durant, but many athletes have fully recovered from this same injury, with no lingering affects. The most recent of these athletes was Atlanta Falcons Wide Receiver, Julio Jones. Jones had the surgery in the middle of last season and sat out the rest of the year. Now he is again playing at 100% and is one of the best and most explosive targets in the league. If a player like Jones can recover from this and remain healthy in a sport as physical as football then we should expect Durant to be back to his MVP self around the end of October or beginning of November, according to team sources.
Mitch McGary
Thunder first round pick Mitch McGary is expected to miss around six weeks after suffering a foot injury during the team’s preseason game against the Denver Nuggets. The loss is a big one for the team considering the need for a successful back up to starting Power Foward, Serge Ibaka. In his first NBA action McGary put an impressive performance during his 36 minutes of starting time. He scored 14 points on 7-14 shooting and came down with four rebounds and two assists. The rookie showed great promise and the team is eagerly awaiting to see him return. We can expect to see him back sometime in mid to late October.
Reggie Jackson
Many Thunder fans broke out in a cold sweat after hearing that Reggie Jackson left the preseason game against the Dallas Mavericks with an aparent wrist injury. The team evaluated the injury and has listed Jackson as day to day. He is not expected to miss any of the regular season. We can expect to see the team play it safe though with all the other loses they have already suffered.
Kendrick Perkins
Kendrick Perkins suffered a quad injury that has sidelined him for all three preseason games so far. The absence of Perkins has given backup Steven Adams a chance to shine. Perkins’ quad injury isn’t expected to be one that will keep him out for any of the regular season.
Serge Ibaka
Serge Ibaka has missed all of the preseason due to an ankle injury. It’s not expected a very serious injury. The team just appears to be playing things safe so that Ibaka doesn’t miss any of the regular season. He is currently listed as Day-to-Day.
The Bright Side
As of right now Thunder fans everywhere are feeling a little nervous about how the team will hold up without its leader and MVP. One thing that fans need to remember is that Durant wasn’t the only MVP caliber player on the roster. In the month that Durant is sidelined we can expect to see Russell Westbrook shoulder most of the load for the team. Also look for Serge Ibaka to increase his numbers to help make up for the lack of scoring and rebounding that we will see in Durant’s absence.
Before I wrap this up I wanted to give Thunder Nation something that will help them sleep a little better at night. After the loss of McGary and Durant, Las Vegas redid the predictions for the team’s success this upcoming season. The team is still a lock to make the playoffs and contend for the division. However, the best news is that their projected win total went from 58 games to 54 games and their odds to win it all went from 4-1 (20%) to 4 1/2-1 (18.2%). So according to Las Vegas, the team is expected to stay right on track.