Kevin Durant Is ‘Unlikely’ To Be Ready To Play By The Start Of The NBA Finals

The Golden State Warriors sweeping the Blazers in the Western Conference Finals meant they got nine days off before the start of the NBA Finals on May 30.

Stephen Curry noted that layoff was a major reason for why they pushed so hard to win Game 7 in comeback fashion, as they need time to get healthy. Andre Iguodala missed Game 4 of the WCF with a left calf injury, and DeMarcus Cousins’ quad injury and Kevin Durant’s battle with a right calf strain have been well documented.

Iguodala is the one that benefits the most from the rest, along with the rest of the Warriors that were logging major minutes in the postseason, but for Durant and Cousins, their timetables for return remain up in the air. The Warriors released a new update on both players on Thursday, and things aren’t encouraging for Durant as he has still not been cleared to play and is “unlikely” to be ready for the start of the Finals.

That is a very big deal for Golden State, as Durant’s presence would be very helpful in a matchup against either Milwaukee or Toronto, given their respective strength on the wing. While Portland didn’t present much in the way of problems from wing players, the Bucks and Raptors, particularly, do, and not having Durant defensively could be big. The Warriors have stated they feel they need Durant in the Finals, but they may have to continue on their run without him for at least the beginning of the series.

As for Cousins, he likewise is someone they hope to have during the Finals at some point, but it seems somewhat risky to add him to the rotation coming off another leg injury against either of these teams that would immediately attack him. That will be the task of Steve Kerr, who will have to balance his rotations as players return from injuries and figure out who can and can’t go in either matchup.