In the summer of 2022, the Nets asked for a trade, and in February 2023, he landed in the Phoenix Suns, and this season is Durant's first full season with the Suns.
Durant's move last season didn't go well, and he was out injured after only three games in Phoenix. Coupled with the late trade date last season, Durant only wore the Suns jersey in a total of 8 games in the regular season, and the chemistry with the other two giants, Booker and Paul, was very limited. At that time, Suns coach Monty Williams did not integrate well, and Durant became a baseline shooter for a lot of time, and did not play to the maximum effect.
In the first round of the playoffs, facing the Los Angeles Clippers, where Paul George didn't play and Leonard only played the first two games, Durant maintained a normal level of 28 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, and his shooting rate was a terrible 52%, 46%, 96%. But teammate Booker was more godlike with 37 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, shooting 60%, 47% and 86%, which is comparable to the report card of the peak Jordan. In the face of the Clippers with an incomplete lineup, the Suns need to put Durant and Booker on an average of more than 43 minutes per game, and although they won the first round, they have been hazy.
In the second round, the Denver Nuggets, the leader of the Western Conference, met the firepower**, the main point guard Paul only played two injuries, and the main center Ayton completely tore his face with head coach Monty in the latter part of the series, even if Booker and Durant can contribute about 30 points respectively, but Durant must help defend the restricted area, and his physical fitness is obviously affected and the projection declines, and the defensive part can not stop Jokic's firepower at all, and finally lost six games.
Before the start of this season, the Suns ushered in a huge change in the lineup, first trading center Ayton to the Trail Blazers for European long-term Nurkic, wing 3D sapper Torrey Craig left to join the Bulls, the main ball control Paul to the Wizards in exchange for star two-way guard Beal, and more importantly, the head coach was replaced by Frank Vogel, who led the team to win the championship with the Lakers.
The Big Three composed of Booker, Beal, and Durant have a powerful offense that can be called the first in the league, and although the healthy Nurkic defense and rebounding parts are not as good as Ayton, they have stronger passing and tactical execution capabilities, Ayton got Bucks shooter Grayson Allen in the trade, Trail Blazers wing Nasir Little in the trade, veteran Eric Gordon in the free agent market, Drew Eubanks and Keita Bates-Diop in the restricted area, and Yuta Watanabe on the Nets flank, and some useful players around the Big Three.
Once the script is written, the actors have to cooperate with the performance. Beal has only played six games since the start of the season, and with Booker also missing for a while, the healthiest of the Big Three is the oldest Durant. A few days ago, facing the Nets, it was the first time that the Big Three played at the same time, but I didn't expect Beal to retire with an injury in less than five minutes in the next game against the Knicks, and it would take more than a month to see the three of them on the court together.
Now the Suns' Big Three looks a bit similar to the original Nets Big Three, and there are very few games in which Harden, Irving and Durant play healthy at the same time, and in the end, it can be said that the thunder and rain are unhappy. How long will it take for the sun to see the trio combined?
Although the Suns' injuries continue to affect the run-in, Durant is still the familiar "Grim Reaper". 31 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and more than 1 hot pot, shooting 52%, 46%, 87% from three. Considering that he is a single player a lot of the time, averaging more than 36 minutes per game, and still being so efficient, it is very rare to say that he is a top 10 superplayer in the league right now.
After the Trail Blazers reversed the loss, Suns head coach Vogel mentioned Durant in an interview and praised this ** again. He put it this way: Durant is one of the best singles players in the league. We'll let him play in the low post, in the elbow zone, at the top of the arc, but sometimes the team can't open up enough space for him and that's something that needs to be improved.
Now the player with the highest shooting point in the NBA is the Spurs' champion Lang, and the second place is Durant, whose jump shot is still an unsolvable nirvana. Durant has a powerful ball, and the destructive power of the ball cannot be underestimated, and with the ability to move with old experience, Durant is still a top scorer. Debuted in 2007 and just turned 35 years old, he is the idol of many young players, and the current wolf king Edwards has publicly stated that Durant is his favorite, and it is the GOAT in his heart. Teammate Booker also loves Durant to the extent that he publicly stated on Twitter back in 2011 that his favorite NBA player is Durant. The popular fried chicken Wembanyama also said that Durant is his favorite player, and Durant directly laughed at himself: This shows that I am old!
It seems that Durant's scoring power is still destructive, but after all, he is a veteran who has suffered a major injury, and Durant is still a little declining on the court. Confrontation has never been his strong point, and now his power in the lower game looks a little more vain, and it is easier to lose his center of gravity when encountering strong physical confrontations. His agility and explosiveness have also declined, and it has become more difficult to get rid of opponents with the ball on the outside.
Defensively, Durant still has some rim protection ability, but his lateral speed is about half a step behind when he was in his heyday. Overall, Durant is still a superstar who combines offense and defense, but the long-term overload is worrying. After returning from a major injury, Durant will always be out of action for a while due to some injuries, and will the complete burn at the beginning of the season allow him to enter the court early for maintenance?
Nurkic is the center with the best playmaking ability Durant has played in recent years, and Booker is reborn as a top player in the playmaking and passing parts. For the Suns, it may be better to let Durant focus on being the offensive arrow, and letting him share the ball-handling responsibility is only a temporary task for now. I only hope that Durant can last until Beal returns, and many fans are very much looking forward to the true power of the Big Three.