Kevin Durant returns from injury, Kevin Durant picks up where he left off and shows no signs of rust.
It’s a story so old that you forget how remarkable it is that seemingly every time Durant steps back on the floor after an absence, he doesn’t look grumpy, outrageous or out of place.
Tuesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers was the latest example of his basketball majesty. He continued his torrid start to the season, helping the Phoenix Suns get back into the win column after a five-game losing streak.
Durant’s 23 points were easy and smooth, effective and not disruptive to the offensive flow. He could have scored 30 without blinking, but the 27-point win didn’t require that.
If he plays, the Suns are 9-1 this year and look every bit the contender no one expected them to be this season. You can put Durant on any team in the league and they will immediately be better, without having to adjust the scheme or game plan. His basketball acumen allows him to blend into any system without having to be the system, without having to dominate the ball or pay attention.
And if his health holds out, the Suns could very well be the biggest party crashers in a crowded Western Conference this spring.
It’s early and guaranteeing availability isn’t a guarantee for any team in this NBA, especially the Suns, who have two stars in their mid-30s in Durant and Bradley Beal. But they looked dominant against a formidable Lakers team that had their number last year.
They outscored the Lakers by 25 in the second half, and while we keep in mind that the Lakers have had trouble defending against good competition this past week (Orlando, Denver), these are the games the Suns should win to establish hierarchy in the West.
Minnesota was a trendy pick to make the finals after last year’s surprising run to the West finals, buoyed by the Timberwolves’ win over Durant’s Suns in the first round, but they are below .500 after losing to Houston – and out of the Play currently in.
Dallas, even before Luka Dončić’s wrist injury cost him time, struggled to find consistency. The Los Angeles Clippers, with no sign of Kawhi Leonard anywhere near a practice field, are in the top six. And second and third places are taken by Golden State and Houston – developments that no one would have predicted a month ago.
Oklahoma City, like last year, is at the top of the conference, but has not yet proven it with a long playoff run. The Thunder still have youth on their side, while teams like the Suns need near-perfect conditions to get through the treacherous West.
But let’s assume Durant is in the same health he was last season, when he played 75 games and debunked the whole injury-prone label he’s been wearing since his Achilles injury in the 2019 NBA Finals.
Let’s assume that at age 36, he maintains the same performance and efficiency as the other two graybeards that the collective public gives deserved grace to, LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
Then there’s no reason to easily dismiss Durant or his team in the postseason. Who knows if this ten-game sample size is just a matter of fresh legs to start the season as opposed to the fatigue that will inevitably set in, but it seems like a smart bet to believe Durant is shooting close to 55 percent, 44 percent . from three-point range, 27 points, six rebounds and three assists.
It matches Durant’s production of 28.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists on 53/41/89 splits, and those aren’t his career numbers — those are his post-Achilles numbers, when he didn’t play again until after that. his 31st birthday.
We’ve gotten so used to talking to Durant about other things — his perceived unhappiness, his habit of leaving franchises, his leadership, his health. The bottom line is that he has been as reliable a performer as he has been on the field, wherever he has been.
The conversation around Durant veers between completely unfair and fair, but rarely is the focus on his play. Usually that is untouchable.
And these Suns are not a complete roster; they rely heavily on the decision-making and dirty work of Jusuf Nurkić and Mason Plumlee as backup to get them through. That doesn’t always inspire much confidence if you pick them to improve on last year’s 49-win season.
But it does feel like the most complete roster Durant has played on since leaving the Bay Area. That Brooklyn Nets team that looked like world beaters in 2021 until Kyrie Irving and James Harden suffered injuries in the second round against the Milwaukee Bucks, leaving Durant alone with an undermanned roster? They were just going to overwhelm you with talent and explosiveness, and we saw what happened when they lost their fastball.
This Suns team isn’t nearly as explosive, but now that Durant has established himself, it takes the pressure off Devin Booker, who had to run the offense in Durant’s absence and saw his efficiency decrease with the extra attention.
They’re both best when the ball is swinging at them, rather than five pairs of eyes staring at the defense, and having Mike Budenholzer as head coach and Tyus Jones as the table-setting point guard takes a lot of weight off them.
Durant is at his best when the game is simple, because he makes the game look better than anyone in the league – even at his old age.
So far, Budenholzer realizes that Durant doesn’t need the most complicated moves, just enough moves that allow him to dribble and pull up, or catch and shoot. And Budenholzer has pushed all three scorers to shoot more 3s to keep up with the times of today’s game. Last year the Suns were 25th in attempts despite being fifth in efficiency. This year, despite Durant’s absence, they rank sixth in attempts and will certainly rise as their big three play together more. Tuesday night marked the Suns’ 99th regular-season game since the Beal trade was made to bring all three together, and the 49th time they have been on the floor at the same time.
Maybe it’s a fallacy to believe in the Suns, but in the absence of a Celtics-like team in the conference, you can believe that with a healthy Durant, they have as good a chance as anyone to make a deep playoff run to make.
