Kevin Durant discusses status with Nets training camp underway: 'I feel good playing'

For the Nets to fulfill their championship aspirations this season, it's going to flow around Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The two superstars haven't been able to play together just yet, as Durant is rehabbing from his Achilles injury that he suffered late in the 2018-19 season.

But Durant says that he feels good heading into training camp with Brooklyn ahead of the new season and isn't even close to thinking about getting back to his former MVP self. He just wants to take things day by day at this point.

"I feel good playing. I mean, I'm not even thinking about awards at all. It's about taking it a day at a time. I feel good, though," he told reporters via Zoom.

Durant went into detail about his rehab from his injury, saying that it was the longest he’s ever had to work his way back from an ailment. It was also humbling because he needed help with many daily things during the process.

"It was definitely new. I never experienced that injury before," he said. "I haven't strained anything close to that. But learning how to walk again -- well, walking and getting assistance in everything you do for the first three or four months -- was tough. I've been through surgeries and injuries before, but the longest recovery I had was three months. The first days of the Achilles you can't walk or run. You have to use a scooter.

"So those milestones of learning how to walk, learning how to run, jump again and getting used to certain movements again, I think that's underestimated. People don't realize that the Achilles ligament is one of the strongest ligaments in your body. So for that to pop, you gotta build that up and that takes a while."

New head coach Steve Nash also reiterated that both Durant and Irving look great on the court.

"They both are in great states of health, so to speak. They're healthy, they're in shape and look great," Nash said. "So that's obviously the best scenario for us after a long way out for both of them."

Nash has also seen early on that the two really know how to mesh well on the court. The stigma around superstars working on the same team is that there’s never enough ball to go around.

But Nash believes that these are two players who gel well with not only each other, but the rest of the roster.

"The way they play off each other is a gift," he explained. "They both (are) incredibly skilled, talented. Both can score and play-make and are intelligent. So they will be a great partnership out there and a great partnership for other guys on the team because of how diverse their skillsets are."

Durant added: "We both respect each other's games and know each other’s games inside and out. We know what good basketball, championship-level basketball looks like. So it's all about crafting every single day with the group and coming together to see what the best way for us is to play."

There have been James Harden trade rumors as well, to which both Nash and GM Sean Marks have avoided. Durant also denied ever talking to the sharp-shooting lefty about playing in Brooklyn. If that were to come to fruition, who knows what would happen to the player dynamic on the floor?

But for now, Nash is happy with what he's seen from his two All-Stars, who will play very pivotal roles in leading Brooklyn back to the playoffs. And to make that happen, Durant knows that individual efforts from all -- not just him and Irving -- will lead to team success across the board.

"Our only goal is to be the best version of ourselves every single day individually and bring that together and work as a unit," he said. "Outside noise form people hoping that we fail, hoping that they see a show or be entertained by some drama we can’t control that stuff.

"Only the people in this building matters."