Kevin Durant is progressing well with his recovery from an ankle injury and is getting closer to his return to the Phoenix Suns’ lineup.
The superstar forward has been out since March 8, when he sprained his ankle during pregame warmups against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Even though both Kevin Durant and the Suns want to be cautious with the recovery, the two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP is targeting a return in late March ahead of the regular season finale.
“Kevin Durant’s doing more and more on the court, I would expect more evaluations later this week, I think there will be potentially an update later this week and early next week when they re-evaluate him, and see exactly how much progress he’s made.
But, definitely there’s optimism within the Suns, they’re gonna be cautious, but they are hopeful he’s going to be back in the lineup before the end of March, potentially early April. The goal was always 2-3 weeks, in that range,” Shams Charania of The Athletic said.
“Kevin Durant is doing more & more on the court… [The Suns] are hopeful that he’s gonna be back in the lineup before the end of March, potentially early April.”
Shams Charania on Kevin Durant's possible timetable for return 🗣
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— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) March 20, 2023
Phoenix has the upper hand in the battle for the playoffs, as we are getting closer to the regular season finale, and has their sights set on having Kevin Durant healthy for the postseason.
“They’re going to be cautious, they know the best time for him is playoff time so, making sure he’s 100 percent not rushing him back, I think that will be a priority as well,” Charania added. The Suns currently are fourth in the West standings with a 38-33 record.
Kevin Durant, who missed 20 games earlier this season with an MCL injury, is averaging nearly 27 points, on 69% shooting, in three appearances with Phoenix. The Suns are 3-0 with Durant in the lineup.
INJURY UPDATE: Further evaluation has confirmed that Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant has sustained a left ankle sprain. He will be re-evaluated in three weeks.
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 10, 2023