Practice Notes: Kevin Durant returns to await analysis next week; Blake Griffin absent but excited

The Nets held their first media availability since the game against the Houston Rockets … and there was a lot to unpack. Steve Nash provided updates on star forward Kevin Durant; Blake Griffin spoke for the very first time as Net; DeAndre Jordan has detailed his reunion with partner Lob City.

Unfortunately, it was a bit disappointing. Hamstrings are tricky things.

Kevin Durant Status Update

The Nets will open the second half of the regular season on Thursday without Kevin Durant, who will miss his 10th straight game against the Boston Celtics with the lingering effects of left hamstring strain.

Steve Nash said Durant would have another scan next week, but stressed that he had not played for almost a month and would need a ramp up once the results were positive. … when it does.

“Kevin is getting better all the time and has a scan next week,” Nash said. “We’ll assess him then, but he hasn’t played in a month, so whatever the scan says, he’ll have a proper ramp and we’ll put him in a position to end the season strong.”

Returning on February 21, ahead of the win over the Clippers, Nash noted how Durant was improving at “a rapid pace.” He was even optimistic that KD could return before the All-Star break, but after a second scan, the Nets realized Durant wouldn’t be back anytime soon.

“I think when we had the second scan we knew it was going to be longer,” Nash said. “On the first scan there was bleeding and the imagery was not as clear. I think we realized with the second scan, this was the type of timeline we’re looking at and we’ll see. It can change. We expected it to be a month.

Nash added how Durant will be subject to another scan next week. He provided a specific date.

“Who knows what the scan says. Who knows where that takes us and what time he’s back, but I think when we got the second scan we knew that’s probably what we’re looking for.

The Nets want to see the left scarring healed. In the meantime, the 32-year-old Nets superstar has been on the pitch doing some individual work.

“I think seeing the wound heal frankly,” Nash said. “It’s simple. He’s been in the field. He does a lot of work and just makes sure he has the proper healing response in the window that we had here. He had the two weeks and then the scan. , two weeks then a scan and if it’s progressing in the right direction that’s the # 1 thing. Then two is he completely healed and how much more can we predict he has to go to be fully healed.

“He’s already in the field and he’s already working individually, putting himself in a position to step up that acceleration whenever the analysis gives us the right information.”

Durant does light work on the training ground such as the half court and works on his shooting pace. Nash and the Nets prevent Durant from participating in high-speed or five-on-five practice.

“He’s definitely not doing five to five. He certainly doesn’t run high speed all over the court, but he does a lot of work on the pace of fire in a tight space on a half court. We will wait for the analysis to escalate it and move on to the next step. “

When asked if Durant’s hamstring injury correlated with his Achillies, Nash quickly dropped the connection, but noted that he never wanted to rule out any injury pattern. While the analysis waits, the Nets will remain very cautious, Durant stressing his obvious importance to the team.

“You never want to rule the models because even if you can’t diagnose it, it might be part of anything. Throughout her story, her medical history, her evaluations, we don’t have the impression that these two are related at all. He’s doing really well right now and we’re all very positive about the direction he’s going, but we just have to be very careful because he’s a really important player for us.

Blake Griffin will miss Thursday’s game (“left knee – injury management”), which he called a “build-up”. quickly refused any injury. Brooklyn classified Jeff Green as doubtful with the right shoulder contusion and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot as doubtful with the right knee pain.

Nash doesn’t see any player having an injury that will require missing the majority of the remaining 35 regular-season games, but wants to take it all day to day so his players can be available for the playoffs.

“We are at the mercy of how it all plays out. The more games the better, but we have 35 games left and at the moment I don’t see anyone who will hold them for the majority of these games, ”said Nash.

“We’ll be watching Kevin and Blake and hopefully we have good health and luck in the race, but you can make whatever plans you want and sometimes things go awry. We just have to take it day to day and make sure we make some smart decisions and with a little bit of luck we’ll have a great lead with these guys available, healthy, playing and an opportunity to gain some cohesion and in comprehension before the playoffs. arrival.”

Blake Griffin details his new role

Blake Griffin made his first appearance in a Nets (practice) jersey on Thursday. For those of you hoping to see what the 31-year-old looks like in some Brooklyn threads, take a look:

Griffin said of his new home, “It’s about meaningful basketball, playing in the playoffs.” Of course, the 12-year veteran didn’t come to the Nets without encouragement. Larry O’Brien’s simple dance of puffing his feathers to woo available backers played a huge role. Therefore, to say.

The main recruiter, you ask? “I talked to KD the most,” Blake said. “It was a familiar team for me.”

It was all legal, of course, as he told Rich Eisen on Tuesday. I wouldn’t want to break these tampering rules.)

What Griffin brings to the table, besides being another great organization to fill some of the vacancies on the front lines, is a distinct skill set pre-tailored for a role. He’s a veteran, after all, well aware of what he does and what he doesn’t bring. He and Steve Nash have already spoken to each other (on a good meal, it seems!) on a possible role for Blake. Nash has a very specific one for the six-time All-Star.

“Blake is a small 5 ball that can do three openings,” Nash said. “He’s really good at doing half rolls, playing 4v3, 3v2, 2v1 situations. He’s a smart player, he has a lot of experience and a great IQ.

Defensively, it looks like Griffin is best used in a scheme that can work with Brooklyn’s switching defense. Former Nets assistant coach Steve Jones Jr. detailed Blake’s profile as a defenseman on Twitter in a wonderful thread (seriously, check it out!). Jones, Snapper’s son, has come to the conclusion that Blake is probably best used in a defense that trades defensive assignments.

It seems DeAndre Jordan agrees.

“With a guy like Blake, man, we can go small,” Jordan said after practice Thursday. “We can change a lot of things.”

Overall, the move should be beneficial for both parties. For Griffin, he’s enjoying a fresh start on a championship contender in a city that, eh, isn’t that bad to live with (the Comedy Cellar awaits him!). The Nets, on the other hand, may (or may not) have stumbled upon a hidden pot of gold. With streamlined expectations, there’s a chance Blake will be a star again … but only a star in his role.

“His role will be different. He was asked to do a lot in Detroit. There would be a lot of focus on him defensively, ”said Nash. “Whereas with this team, we won’t ask him so much to carry such a heavy load or absorb so much pressure from the defense. I think there is an opportunity for him here to have less pressure, less responsibility, and therefore to show what he can do in a bigger light.

Nash added …

“I’m not sitting here making expectations on Blake. I just want to see him enjoy his game, feel good, move around as well as he can at this point and hopefully incorporate that into what we’re doing and let him find a great role.

It was unclear how the Nets would fill their two vacancies, extend two of the three 10 days posted earlier in the week, sign other players for new 10 days, or leave places open. After all, as Marc Stein reported on Wednesday night, if André Drummond hits free agency, it will be a “Nets vs. Lakers” face-to-face.