After 552 days, Kevin Durant was finally back on the court. In a Nets uniform.

And looked damn good.

The rest is gravy.

Sure, it was a tougher-than-it-should have been 119-114 preseason nailbiter against the Wizards at an empty Barclays Center. And yes, it was against a Wizards team without Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook.

But it was a start. And an encouraging one.

Kyrie Irving — who again declined interview requests — returned from shoulder surgery and was stellar in his first game since Feb. 1 with a team-high 18 points in 17 minutes, 8 seconds of action. Durant had been out even longer, sidelined 18 months after rupturing his Achilles playing in the 2019 NBA Finals. Even he had no idea how he would look.

“Hell yeah, I was anxious. And nervous,” Durant said. “I visualized this moment for so long, you know? Nine, 10 months just thinking about how it would be this next phase of my career. So I felt like I was just champing at the bit.

“Especially once COVID hit, I was just so frustrated because I didn’t see an end. I mean, I didn’t see the future, where the season was going to start in the future, so I was just so … I was going through it. So to go through this felt solid, and I’ve just got to keep building on it.”

Durant had 15 points, three assists and clicked with Irving offensively. He added three boards, two blocks and a charge taken in 23:43 to show he was mentally ready to take contact as well.

“It’s amazing. This is an injury that very few people conquer, so to speak,” Steve Nash said after making his coaching debut. “He brings a joy, a child-like joy, and a love for the game every day when he comes to work. So it’s beautiful to see him back out on the court.

“That’s the reason he’s out there after this devastating injury is because he does have such a passion to play.”

Durant showed his brilliance in helping Brooklyn build a 26-point lead, Spencer Dinwiddie hitting Taurean Prince for a 3 and 61-35 cushion with 4:26 left in the first half. Then the four-time scoring champ showed that passion when he took a full-speed charge from Rui Hachimura 3:23 before the break.

If there had been fans in Barclays Center, the collective gasps would’ve surely been audible.

“I’m surprised he doesn’t have a hole in his chest,” Landry Shamet said.

“Man, Rui came down with a full head of steam. I was like, ooooh,” Dinwiddie said. “I’m totally messing around: KD’s fine, he’s going to be fine. Don’t worry about it, don’t think too much into it: MVP form coming soon.”

Maybe, but Durant admits that’s a ways off.

After coming out hot with an 11-point, 3-of-3 opening period, he had four points in a 2-of-4 second and scoreless 0-for-4 third, when the Nets got outscored 34-22. He sat out the fourth, and Irving rested the entire second half.

Down 112-111 with 2:56 to play, Brooklyn went ahead for good on Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot’s free throws. A Rodions Kurucs layup pushed it to three with 2:32 remaining, and Chris Chiozza’s 3 in the final half-minute iced it at 118-114.

“I didn’t think I played great. I had some solid moments, but for the most part just getting my feet wet playing against somebody like Hachimura. I took that charge earlier and I’m definitely feeling it right now. So it’s good to get back in the flow of things and it definitely gave me some confidence,” Durant said.

“I can’t tell from one preseason game. I felt good [but] I want to play at the highest level of basketball. That’s the highest intensity of basketball, and it’s not in preseason. It’s a good first step. I want to play at an elite level late in the season and playoffs. That’s when I want to play my best basketball, so I’m working towards that point.”

That point will be pretty impressive.

“I knew they both looked really good,” said Shamet. “You know that whatever percentage of Kevin Durant you saw is better than a lot of guys in the NBA.”