Kevin Durant Could Return from Knee Injury vs. Bucks, Nets' Steve Nash Says

Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant could possibly return to the lineup for Saturday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks, head coach Steve Nash told reporters Thursday. However, Nash appeared more optimistic about the veteran returning early next week. 

Durant hasn't played since a Jan. 15 win over the New Orleans Pelicans because of a knee injury.

Nash's comments come after general manager Sean Marks said Tuesday that he expects Durant to remain sidelined through Saturday's game against the Bucks. 

Durant is now the sole leader in Brooklyn after the Nets traded James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and a first-round draft pick. 

Simmons has yet to make his Nets' debut as he continues to ramp up activity after not appearing in a game for the Sixers all season. Kyrie Irving, meanwhile, still isn't allowed to play in the team's home games at Barclays Center because New York City has a vaccination mandate for indoor spaces. He remains unvaccinated. 

That leaves Durant to carry the team moving forward, so it's no surprise Nash and Co. aren't rushing him back to the court. When healthy, the four-time scoring champion is one of the best in the NBA. 

Through 36 games, Durant is averaging 29.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists while shooting 52 percent from the floor and 37.2 percent from deep. He leads the team in points and assists per game and ranks second in rebounds per game. 

In Durant's absence, the Nets have dropped to eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 31-28 record. Before the All-Star break, they won just two of their last 10 games.

Luckily for the Nets, they are just seven games behind the first-place Miami Heat, and the standings in the East are extremely tight. Once they get both Durant and Simmons into the lineup, the team could rise in the standings and make a push for a better seed in the playoffs.