The Phoenix Suns’ acquisition of Kevin Durant ahead of the February 9th trade deadline tipped the balance of powers in the NBA. And while the Suns were among Durant’s preferred destinations when he first made a trade request last year, the deal nevertheless stunned fans, and spurned renewed optimism regarding Phoenix’s window to compete in the valley.
Durant made his Phoenix debut against the Charlotte Hornets and finished with 23 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in 27 minutes. He then scored 20 and 37 in his next two games with the Suns winning all three games. Durant is averaging 26.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 blocks while shooting 53.8% from the three-point line in those games.
Then, disaster struck.
Durant Could Miss the Rest of the Season
While the Suns are riding a four-game winning streak after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 132-101, the win was marred by an injury to the two-time NBA champion when he slipped during pregame warmups.
Greg Moore of The Arizona Republic said Durant may have sustained a Grade Two ankle sprain. The initial assessment of the injury could mean Durant would be out for four to six weeks. This timeline means that Durant would miss the remainder of the regular season.
With 16 games left on their schedule and a chance to snatch third place from the Memphis Grizzlies, KD’s injury couldn’t have come at a worse time. Fortunately for Phoenix, the team still has the trio of Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton to hold the fort down in his absence.
Against the Thunder on Wednesday, Devin Booker scored 30 of his 44 points in the first half. Chris Paul added 18 points, nine assists, four rebounds, and four steals in 24 minutes, while Deandre Ayton had 12 points and eight rebounds. Terrence Ross even had a 24-point outing off the bench for Coach Monty Williams.
If anything, the Suns have enough firepower to win games until the end of the regular season. But if KD were to miss any time during the playoffs, that would be a different story altogether.
How Far Can the Suns Go Without KD?
While the Suns have plenty of pieces at their disposal to try and fill the void Kevin Durant leaves behind, we all know the postseason is a different beast altogether. Teams need every healthy body possible, especially when that body happens to be one of the best pure scorers in NBA history.
If Kevin Durant were to remain out through the early stages of the 2023 playoffs, would the Suns be able to advance in the tightly contested Western Conference? While Phoenix reached the NBA Finals in 2021, they largely faced injury-plagued teams during that playoff run.
Barring any significant injury to any of its remaining stars, a KD-less Suns should in theory make it out of the first round. If however the Suns were to face the West-leading Denver Nuggets in the conference semifinals, that’s where KD’s absence would loom largest. The Suns have yet to win a game against Denver this season but will get one final crack at them this April.
With a championship window that’s growing slimmer by the year, the Suns can ill afford to squander another year because of a freak injury in warm ups.
“I feel bad for him because he feels bad,” Suns coach Monty Williams told reporters. “I saw his face and — I’ve been around him so many times — I know what he’s feeling, and I don’t want him feeling that way at all.”
One way or another, Suns fans will get an update in roughly two weeks time when the 7 footer is re-evaluated by team doctors.
-Iggy Gonzales
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