The absence of Kevin Durant from the NBA Finals has made the path to victory for the Golden State Warriors more difficult to traverse. A right calf injury he suffered in May has sidelined him since May, and it's no secret to the organization that he is longing to come back to the court.
Per The Undefeated, a staffer for the Warriors has noticed KD's frustration about not being able to compete against the Toronto Raptors. "It’s [expletive] killing him. Killing him," the employee said.
And for good reason, too. The 30-year-old was having a phenomenal playoff run prior to his injury, as he averaged 34.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1 block per game.
Despite his injury, Durant is still leveraging his leadership qualities for the sake of the Warriors, as teammate Quinn Cook said recently. "He’s been a great, great leader and motivated everybody by talking a lot," he said. "Ever since he’s been out, he’s been great. But over these past three games, he’s been the best leader you could ask for."
Early reports suggested that KD was expected to make his return to the court midway through the Finals, though Warriors coach Steve Kerr has confirmed he will be out for Game 4. No matter how much Golden State wants to clinch victories, they more than likely do not want to risk sending in an unhealthy Durant.
In addition to Durant, Klay Thompson, another instrumental piece in the Warriors' lineup, suffered an injury that kept him out of last night's 123-109 loss. Yahoo! Sports has confirmed that he will make his return tomorrow night for Game 4.
