Kevin Durant likely to miss 6-8 weeks with foot injury

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced Sunday Kevin Durant has suffered a Jones fracture in his right foot and will likely miss 6-8 weeks, the team announced. He felt discomfort during practice Saturday.

"Afte practice yesterday, Kevin made us aware of discomfort in his right foot," Thunder GM Sam Presti said in a statement. "We proceeded to perform the necessary imagining [sic.] 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."

Presti later stressed that a specific timetable has not yet been determined. Durant is still expected to undergo the surgery and return to the court by late November or early December. Should Durant miss the full eight weeks, he'd sit for the first 19 games of the season.

A Jones fracture is on the bone that connects the outside of the foot to the little toe. Elton Brand suffered the injury when he was at Duke and missed eight weeks.

Thunder coach Scott Brooks doesn't have an obvious replacement for Durant in the lineup, but he can go with Andre Roberson or Perry Jones III for defense or play small with Jeremy Lamb or Anthony Morrow for offense. Reggie Jackson, who was initially expected to remain in his sixth man role, will likely slide into the starting lineup in the interim. Russell Westbrook will surely need to carry the Thunder offense in the interim, much like Durant carried the team when he was sidelined with a knee injury last year.

This is Durant's first major injury as a pro. The Thunder star had only missed 16 games total in his previous seven seasons, including playoffs.