Durant ready for anything with Nets

When Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving signed free agent contracts with the Brooklyn Nets in July 2019, it gave long-suffering Nets fans visions of Eastern Conference dominance and multiple appearances in the NBA Finals.

But it’d have to wait a year. Durant would first have to recover from a torn Achilles suffered in the ‘19 NBA Finals, leaving their faithful counting down the days until their dynamic duo would step onto the court together.

Well, that day has arrived and Durant presumably is ready to resume a career that saw him win a league MVP award, two Finals MVP trophies and two NBA titles, among many other laurels.

Before he went down, the former Golden State Warrior and Oklahoma City Thunder/Seattle SuperSonic was one of the game’s most prolific scorers, sporting per-game averages of 26 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists. His four scoring championships and 10 All-Star selections attest to that.

A small forward for much of his 12-year NBA career, the 6-feet-10-inch, 240-pound Durant will slot into that position in Brooklyn as well as play some power forward and center in new head coach Steve Nash’s “small ball 5” scheme. He’ll also be used to bring the ball up court on possession changes.

He’s ready for whatever is asked of him and he’s hoping his heel tendon will be, too.

“I’m just looking forward to seeing how my body responds ...,” he said.

Durant and the Nets can be seen in action Thursday, Jan. 7, against their Atlantic Division rivals the Philadelphia 76ers in the early game of a TNT doubleheader.