Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine shares Kevin Durant injury support

After the tragic Achilles injury to Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant last night, Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine Tweeted out his support.

There was a huge outcry on social media within the past 24 hours after it was reported that the Golden State Warriors superstar forward Kevin Durant could have a torn Achilles tendon after Game 5. Some of that support on social media came on the Twitter timeline of Chicago Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine.

On June 10, the Warriors and Toronto Raptros squared off in Game 5 of the NBA Finals in a potential elimination showdown at Scotiabank Arena. One of the biggest looming storylines in that game was the return of Durant from a calf injury that he suffered in the second round of the NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets.

The Warriors had to be excited to get Durant back in the mix to help get over the hump that is superstar forward Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors. Entering Game 5, Kawhi and the Raptors held a 3-1 series lead over the two-time defending NBA Champions.

https://twitter.com/ZachLaVine/status/1138299875173572608

The reports that the Warriors forward Kevin Durant could have an Achilles tendon tear was announced in the post-game press conference by the team doctors and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Shelburne and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski both posted this report on their Twitter timelines the night after Golden State’s Game 5 victory in Toronto.

However, where LaVine and the Chicago Bulls could come into play here is the rehab process looming for Durant. Just ask the Washington Wizards injured star point guard John Wall about how the rehab process can go for an Achilles tear.

Wall is now considered to be one of the heaviest lingering contracts for any team in the NBA. LaVine also went through a lengthy recovery process in the last three years after tearing his ACL. After that tear, LaVine was able to come back stronger than ever. He even posted a career season with the Bulls during the 2018-19 campaign.

This came at the worst time for Durant since he is a pending free agent this summer. He could wind up missing the entire of the 2019-20 season when he is already 30-years-old. A player that almost every NBA team would love to acquire will have a much smaller list of free agency suitors.

Potential suitors like the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, and Los Angeles Clippers could now wind up dramatically adjusting their off-season plans in the free agent market. This impact could even carry as far as the Bulls.

However, this is a horrible injury to watch a player go through. It didn’t look like the injury to Durant in Game 5 was as severe as an Achilles tear at the time. But he did come back pretty quickly from the calf injury he suffered earlier in the playoffs. Hopefully he can have a similar fortune to LaVine in terms of recovery time and production once he’s 100 percent.