NBA News: Kevin Durant Held Off From All Basketball Activities, Might Miss Rest Of Season

The Oklahoma City Thunder are taking a lot of precaution when it comes to the Jones foot injury of reigning league Most Valuable Player, or MVP, Kevin Durant. The team has prohibited its superstar all-star to hold off on all basketball related activities to ensure his recovery, even if it means missing the rest of the NBA season.

The 26-year-old Durant has been in and out of the line-up since the start of the season and has been relegated to limited minutes during his All-Star Game appearance. He has been taking part is some light, non-contact practices lately but soreness on his right foot has forced the hand of management to put him on the shelf for good, a revelation that general manager Sam Presti made official this Friday.

"He's not making the progress we had hoped." Presti said in a news conference addressing the plans for his player. "He's being removed from basketball activities."

The development on Durant’s progress has transformed his timeline of recovery to an indefinite one putting more question marks on the team’s chances this season. The team is currently a game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans, which suffered an untimely loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night. Both teams are battling injuries to key players with the Pelicans making up for the absence of point guard Jrue Holiday and sharpshooter big man Ryan Anderson.

The Thunder have injury woes of its own the largest of which is Durant followed by the absence of Spanish team national player Serge Ibaka who will also miss time after undergoing a minor procedure on his knee. The team has been relying on the stellar play of point guard Russell Westbrooks who has been carrying the team in Durant’s absence. The explosive guard has lifted the team to a record of 8-5 in the time that Durant has missed in the All-Star break and just lifted the team over the Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta Hawks with a jaw dropping line of 36 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists.

Thunder Coach Scott Brooks has been relying on new acquisitions Enes Kanter and guard Dion Waiters but the team has been struggling on the defensive side ranking just 24th in the league in Durant and Ibaka’s absence. The team’s dilemma is also compounded by the fact that Durant is set to become a free agent in the summer of 2016, when the salary cap is projected to shoot off the roof, a multitude of teams salivating at the prospect of adding the league MVP. Despite this, the organization is confident of keeping its young core and will never entertain the idea of dealing away its best player.

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