The NBA awoke Sunday to the bad news that Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant has a Jones fracture in the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. The injury to the reigning MVP, which the Thunder said has a typical timetable of six to eight weeks, has several important ramifications for Oklahoma City and the NBA. Let's take a look at what Durant's absence might mean.
1. Durant's injury will cost the Thunder approximately 2-3 wins.
Both my SCHOENE projection system and a projection built on ESPN's real plus-minus estimate Oklahoma City's average win total dropping between two and three wins after accounting for Durant's injury. That seems like a reasonable guess, presuming Durant is able to return within six to eight weeks, which would translate to something in the range of 15 to 20 games missed.