Expected Recovery Time for Achilles Injury Could Keep Kevin Durant Out of Entire 2019-20 NBA Season

Cover Photo

Kevin Durant finally made his long-awaited 2019 NBA Finals' debut for the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 on Monday night, and it looked like he was going to be impossible to stop from the jump.

Unfortunately, his comeback came to a heartbreaking end early in the second quarter due a ruptured Achilles tendon. Upon hearing the diagnosis, the Warriors' star immediately underwent surgery Wednesday morning to repair the injured tendon, and he is expected to make a full recovery.

How long his recovery may take, if previous NBA players' Achilles injuries are any indication, should be concerning to basketball fans everywhere.

Several NBA stars, including Durant's current teammate DeMarcus Cousins, have undergone similar procedures, and some of them needed at least 240 days before they were ready to return to the court. For some added perspective on a timeline like this, 2020's Super Bowl LIV is less than 240 days (235) from now.

Clearly, this doesn't bode well for Durant, especially since he was expected to be the most sought-after player on the free agent market this offseason. However, despite the likelihood that he'll miss a vast majority of next season, the soon-to-be free agent is still in high demand.

Unless he decides to opt-in with the Warriors for next season, several teams expected to vie for Durant's signature in free agency aren't deterred by the possibility that the 10-time All-Star might miss next year.

Durant has a long road to recovery ahead of him, and the NBA landscape surely won't be the same without him. All we can hope is that one of the game's most dynamic players will make his return to the court sooner rather than later.

Join FanDuel Sportsbook Today. New users get a risk-free bet up to $500. Join Now.

Mike Esposito is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Mike Esposito also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username espo6891. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.