Few players have been as dominant in the NBA in the last two decades as Kevin Durant. The Phoenix Suns star forward is considered by many to be the most prolific scorer the game has ever seen.

His lanky frame, paired with beautiful strokes and guard-like handling, makes him an unstoppable force on offense. He etched his name into history books numerous times and probably would be higher on several lists if it weren't for his injuries.

The toughest one was the Achilles rupture he sustained in the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors in 2019. If it weren't for it, KD would have probably helped the Golden State Warriors three-peat, and he would be more prone to staying in the Bay Area.

Long recovery

After that moment, in Game 5 of the Finals, the former Longhorn was looking at a long recovery process. Achilles injuries usually are the beginning of an end for NBA players, and only a few of them made a successful comeback; KD was candid about how long it took him to feel 100 percent.

"It was like 700 days until I really felt like me again on the court," said KD.

As Achilles is a specific tendon in the body, any rupture or injury needs a long period to heal. Durant talked about it and shared his problem while recovering.

"You got to realize like you just it's like pulling a sock a plug out the out the socket. When you take when you split your Achilles, oh and, you lose some of that power that you had before in your calf muscle, so you got to build your calf muscle all the way. Then you get atrophy with your calf gets smaller because you haven't moved it for three or four months, so you just got to build that calf back up," he added.

This injury altered his attitude to the game, and he is now much more focused on stretching and injury prevention than he was previously. Pairing that with his unique build made the recovery process easier. His game suffered less because he relied less on physical attributes and more on his skill.

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Durant is one of the few

Out of all the players who had the same injury as the one-time MVP, he is the only one who came back and continued to dominate. Even the great Kobe Bryant did not look like himself. His scoring average dropped, and you could see he lost his athleticism and speed.

"That injury was Mount Everest for me personally because I knew what the long road was going to be. So at that point, you have to make a decision, make a choice," said "Black Mamba."

LeBron James gets all the praise for his longevity, but KD should be included in the same conversation. Playing in his 16th NBA season, he remains the one matchup no one wants to face, and with his talent and abilities, we can only imagine how much better he might have been without the injury.

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