Written by Matt Zemek at Bloguin
That’s an admittedly alarmist title, but it’s not exactly untrue.
Tuesday night was the night the NBA began to worry… about the health of many of its best players.
Bradley Beal did not play in what was one of the most anticipated early-season games on the schedule, the clash between Beal’s Washington Wizards and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The game was a dud, in large part because the Wizards lost their most dynamic shooter-scorer. However, it got worse when Durant — the emotional and thematic centerpiece of the game, due to the drama which will surround a possible relocation to Washington, D.C., next summer — suffered an injury of his own midway through the proceedings.
With Oklahoma City soon to play Philadelphia on an Eastern road swing, it would be patently foolish for the Thunder to play Durant against such an inferior opponent. That’s really not the concern OKC is confronting right now. The main issue with Durant is that his body has become at least something of an injury magnet. The Thunder will need Durant at maximum strength in the playoffs; they cannot take the court with an 80-percent version of the superstar. The Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs will pounce on an appreciably diminished Durant.
No, this isn’t a present-moment crisis, but it is the beginning of a (new) time to worry in Oklahoma City.
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