3 Takeaways from Kevin Durant’s debut with Phoenix Suns

Kevin Durant made his debut with the Phoenix Suns helping Monty William’s and co. to add to their winning record by beating the Charlotte Hornets. That was the first game for Durant since Jan. 8 when he suffered a right MCL sprain at Miami. Durant was comfortable in his new attire scoring 23 points in 26 minutes and helping the Suns reach to a 105-91 victory over the Hornets.

Durant experienced some rust but once the first shot dropped started to get back into speed and finished the first half with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. The superstar forward played under minute restriction, which will be lifted over the next two weeks as Durant is getting back to speed.

That said, here are three takeaways from Durant’s debut with the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.

The Suns’ unlimited potential with Kevin Durant active

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With the Phoenix Suns’ bench unit losing some punch due to Durant’s trade, the Suns are going to run the bench mob with Monty Williams slotting either the superstar forward or Devin Booker in the five-man lineup. In the game vs. the Hornets, Kevin Durant and Booker were together on the court for 15 minutes.

Phoenix started the game with Jock Landale, Ish Wainright, Cameron Payne, Josh Okogie and Kevin Durant and outscored their opponent by a net rating of 75.0. It will be crucial to see how the second unit with Durant will react against better opponents. The potential is there for the Phoenix Suns, but the ability to keep their stars fresh will be crucial in the long run.

In any case, Devin Booker was cooking whether Durant was on the bench, while the star-studded quartet of Chris Paul, Durant, Booker and Deandre Ayton will there to play a lot of minutes in the postseason.

Attacking from different spots

The Suns were able to present a balanced offensive effort with Booker, Durant and Ayton splitting the available shots. Durant and Ayton took the same amount of shots with eight in the first half, while Booker, who finished with 37 points, had 12. Chris Paul is an elite play caller and playmaker, so it will be easier for him to create for others.

He stayed on the court for 32 minutes and took only eight shots registering 11 assists in the process. Paul’s experience playing alongside other stars will help the Suns squad find their roles quicker than it’s expected. Apart from Kevin Durant, Paul’s presence will help other newcomers like Terrence Ross and Darius Bazley to get acclimated in Phoenix.

With Durant and Booker running the show, the effort and play of the likes of Ross, Bazley and other depth option will be huge for Phoenix

Time is of the essence for the Phoenix Suns

With 19 games remaining for the Phoenix Suns, Devin Booker and co. know that they will have to rush things integrating all the new trade pieces. Kevin Durant will go through a period, where he will have to play under minutes restriction. In addition, it’s almost certain Durant will sit some games even if he’s ready to play the same way Booker stayed out during the time he was recovering from a groin injury.

The Suns need Kevin Durant and the rest of the star players to remain healthy for the playoffs starting in April. Phoenix will not have the time to see many versions of this season’s roster in full streght for the rest of the regular season. At the same time, they will need to add to the team’s winning column in the remaining 19 games with Phoenix being fourth in the West with a 34-29 record.

In those 19 games, Phoenix will meet the Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks, Clippers, Lakers and other top-tier teams like the West-leading Denver Nuggets.

 

 

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