NBA MVP Kevin Durant is out indefinitely with a foot fracture.
The Oklahoma City Thunder announced Sunday in a news release that their superstar forward has a Jones fracture in his right foot and that the typical course of action is surgery that requires six to eight weeks of recovery.
However, the release also said that Durant and the team had yet to decide on a specific course of action and cannot yet provide a timetable.
Here’s what Thunder GM Sam Presti had to say in the release:
“After practice (Saturday), Kevin made us aware of discomfort in his right foot. We proceeded to perform the necessary imagining studies to determine the cause of his discomfort. At this stage, Kevin has been diagnosed with a Jones fracture. Traditional treatment of this injury requires a surgical procedure and recent NBA cases have resulted in a return to play in 6-8 weeks.
“We are in the process of collaboratively evaluating the most appropriate next steps with Kevin, his representatives, and Thunder medical personnel. Until a course of action is determined, we are unable to provide a timeline specific to Kevin’s case.”
A somewhat random description of a Jones fracture is explained here. It is specific to the outside of the foot and requires surgery and full immobilization for the fracture to heal. NBA players who have suffered Jones fractures in recent years include Chris Singleton, Rasheed Wallace and Glen Davis.
At a news conference Sunday afternoon, Presti said of the surgery, “we’re heading in that direction.”
The estimated timetable would mean Durant would be sidelined until somewhere between Thanskgiving and mid-December. He has never missed more than eight games in a season and has missed just 16 in his first seven seasons.
The injury continues a choppy offseason for Durant. It began with him quitting Team USA due to what he said was fatigue but may also have been pressure from his reps at Roc Nation. He contemplated a huge nine-figure offer to be the face of Under Armour’s serious venture into the lucrative sneaker market before deciding to re-up with Nike.
And both his hometown Washington Wizards and the New York Knicks hired assistant coaches with strong ties to Durant, triggering a slew of speculation about his 2016 free agency.
It was Durant’s brilliance that allowed the Thunder to survive 36 games last season without injured fellow All-Star Russell 
Westbrook. Ultimately, it was Durant’s performance without his superstar sidekick that convinced media members that he was the MVP.
As noted above, however, the Thunder really don’t know what life without Durant is like. Oklahoma City has made the playoffs every year since 2010. During those five seasons, Durant has missed a total of six games.
And the Thunder really don’t have a backup for Durant, who has averaged more than 38 minutes per game in his career and has been in the top five in average minutes in five of the last six seasons. Perry Jones III is listed as a small forward, but he averaged all of 3.5 points in 12.3 minutes last season and would be in way over his head.
The best candidate to hold the fort in Durant’s absence may be Jeremy Lamb, who showed solid growth last season until being bumped from the rotation after the signing of Caron Butler. At 6-5, he has the best combination of length and quickness on the roster required to handle opposing wings.
If Durant returns Dec. 1, he would miss 17 games. Just eight of those are against 2014 playoff teams, so it is possible the Thunder could hang around in the loaded West without their superstar. Keep in mind that last season, five wins separated the second seed from the fifth seed.
I’ve done a little research and have to conclude that the Thunder Front Office may be trying to placate their fans.
First, the clock doesn’t start running until after the surgery. If a screw is inserted (as expected), there can be all sorts of complications. While Robin Lopez returned to play after 7 weeks, brother Brook was rushed back after 9 weeks (to try to trade him for Dwight Howard) and had a re-fracture around the position of the screw (March 2012). He would miss the rest of the season. The screw would eventually have to be replaced (with a larger one) the following spring, after it was found to be bent. Of course the fracture re-occured and his foot had to be re-sculptured in January 14. He’s finally doing great almost 3 years after the initial fracture.
Rasheed Wallace’s career was ended by the fracture and Glen Davis ended up being kept out for the rest of the season, after his Feb 1 surgery. He would need another surgery in June. I couldn’t find out how long Chris Singleton was out.
Bottom line is that Thunder Fans should be delighted if Durant could return in early January and never have another problem with his foot. Of course that could mean that they might barely make the playoffs this season.