The Phoenix Suns have been without Kevin Durant for the past two games due to hamstring pain. Phoenix has gone 1-1 without him and is now 18-16 on the season, enough for ninth in the Western Conference.
Yes, if the season ended today, Phoenix would be playing in a Play In game on the road.
This season, the 13-time All-Star is averaging 29.9 points while shooting 52.5% from the field, a league-best 47.7% from three-point range, and 87.4% from the line. Those numbers have come at a cost, as he has been the Suns’ Big Three’s healthiest player this season, appearing in 28 games.
“He’ll never say it,” Durant’s fellow All-Star Devin Booker remarked, “but I think he needs a couple of games too.” With me and Brad out this season, he’s got a lot on his plate, and it’s our responsibility to relieve some of that strain.”
Booker is not incorrect. He has missed 11 games this season due to various lower leg ailments, while Bradley Beal, the team’s highest-paid player, has missed 24. Durant has been a calming influence on a squad that absolutely needed it.
Durant requires relaxation, and he has earned a few days off. The Suns, on the other hand, have entered the season’s buzzsaw. The games will become more difficult as the completion rate rises, and if Phoenix wants to start firing on all cylinders as the postseason approaches, they will need on-court time together to create chemistry.
They’ve been good when they’ve played together. Very good.
However, 64 overall minutes isn’t a lot, especially after 34 games.
Durant’s injury situation is preventing the Big Three from playing more minutes together, and he has been categorized as “questionable” for Friday’s game against the Heat. What makes this designation noteworthy is that he is questionable…with a right hamstring injury.
Durant’s previous two DNPs were due to right hamstring tightness. I’m getting a sense of déjà vu. Earlier in the season, the same sequence of events occurred with Devin Booker. It started as right calf discomfort before progressing to a strain, which resulted in five games missed.
Should we expect KD to return in the same timeframe? Is the hamstring tweak something that requires extra time to heal? Perhaps it is a minor remark with little significance, but it is something we are constantly tuned into and nervously examining.
Tomorrow night’s opponent is the Miami Heat, who are a tough out. We’ll find out tomorrow whether KD needed rest or whether he has a lengthier path to recovery.