On Thursday more details came out concerning the injury to Kevin Durant. The surgery was performed and was successful, and it was announced that Durant will be re-evaluated in six weeks, basically around Thanksgiving Day. Durant is therefore going to miss at least a full month of the season, possibly a little more. That’s what bettors have to evaluate, and they also have to expect Durant to be sluggish and perhaps limited in his minutes once he returns to the court.
Odds To Win The Championship
The bigger question of whether Oklahoma City will win the NBA title or not is something that needs to be waited on, because that’s the especially uncertain aspect of this story. Durant’s injury might hurt the Thunder in the short run, but in the long run, it might be a benefit for Oklahoma City. Why? The reason is deceptively simple. Durant, by missing a month or more of games, will not have as much tread on the tires when he gets to the end of the regular season and the playoffs. Durant bowed out of the United States men’s basketball team because he wanted to rest up for the NBA season, and this injury will add to that rest. Oklahoma City might have a better, more energetic version of Durant when the playoffs roll around. It could rebound to the Thunder’s benefit.
Thunder Regular Season Win Total
The NBA future that might move in a meaningful direction as a result of this injury is the Thunder’s over-under win total, which had been at or near 57.5 wins in recent days. It’s true that Oklahoma City didn’t do that badly last year when Russell Westbrook was out for multiple weeks with an injury. Backup point guard Reggie Jackson was able to keep the team rolling along. However, Durant can’t be backed up by Jackson, at least not without the Thunder sacrificing either offensive scoring punch or defensive length on the wing. Durant being out for a month could very well be enough to reduce Oklahoma City’s win total to 55 or so. Yet, the Thunder’s ability to play around Westbrook last season means that they could be good enough to endure whatever comes their way in November, in which case they might still be able to win 58 or 59 games and get the over.
MVP Futures
The third betting consideration is the one where bettors should make their move. This injury makes it so much more likely that LeBron James will be the NBA Most Valuable Player for the 2014-2015 season. Durant’s stats are going to be based on a much smaller chunk of games. When he does get back to the lineup, he’s probably not going to be sharp in his first week back on the court. LeBron gets such a huge head start as a result of the Durant injury. This might give Westbrook more of a chance to be Oklahoma City’s dark horse MVP candidate. It also might enable someone such as Chris Paul or Carmelo Anthony to finish in second place.
