almost three weeks later to be transferred from brooklyn nets, Kevin Durant made its long-awaited premiere with the Phoenix suns. And his first appearance with the Arizona franchise was positive in every way: from an individual perspective, after he added 23 points on an outstanding 10-15 from the field in 27 minutes and also from the collective, with a comfortable 105-91 in Charlotte against the weak Hornets.
It’s worth remembering that Durant hasn’t seen action since January 8when he got a right knee injury during a Net-Heat. KD was average 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assistswith Field 56%. in his 39 games with Brooklyn this 2022-2023.
☀️ The best of Kevin Durant’s debut with the Phoenix Suns #NBA
✅ 23 points in 27 minutes
✅ Field 10-15
✅ Victory over the Hornets with 105-91 pic.twitter.com/VGhm7jImwI— Sportingnewsar Argentina 🇦🇷 (@sportingnewsar) March 2, 2023
What did Kevin Durant’s debut with the Phoenix Suns leave?
The first thing to mention is that, without significant losses, the question about what would be the original quintet of suns. Prior to the introduction of Durant, Torrey Craig and Josh Okgie They accompanied the team’s figures (Paul, Booker and Ayton) and either of them could be selected for this function defense specialist.
Who did Monty Williams pick? With Josh OkogieWHERE he missed all 4 of his hoop attempts in 33 minutes, while Craig brought 8 points from the second unit. It’s clear that with so much talent around him, Okogie will have few shooting opportunities for Phoenix. Although at the same time it is not the best sign to see him without conversions from the field in more than 30 minutes of action. In the medium term, it is clear Who will the Phoenix rivals release? in a tight Playoffs crossover.
Besides that, Phoenix looked as dominant as could be expected with their team names. Durant needed only a few possessions to get his first points and Williams’ men opened the game with a 11-0 in less than 5 minuteswhich Charlotte could no longer overcome (she did not even reach a draw).
KD BLOCK THEN HIT A THREE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/dgRmRIq3ZX
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 2, 2023
The Suns will likely take KD slowly, but his minutes on the court showed a great version of the team: +12 in 27, as opposed to +2 in the other 21 minutes of the night.
An interesting and unsurprising one considering Durant’s versatility: Phoenix has already started using it in all kinds of plays. Indirect screens on the opposite side of the ball to receive in the middle distance, one-on-one actions in the low post, pick and rolls, shots with the feet and on the run… The complete arsenal of one of the best scorers of all time.
KD is already cooking ♨️ pic.twitter.com/lmRfLi55cM
—NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 2, 2023
In addition to the excellent performance of exNets, in Phoenix beamed Devin Booker, who should have no problem complementing what Durant has to offer. The escort ended with 37 points and 26 shots in just 33 minutes.
Much less aggressive was Chris Paulwhich will surely strengthen you pin face and organizer, turning Durant, Booker and, to a lesser extent, Ayton into centerpieces of the offense. The point guard only added 2 points (with 8 assists) in 33 minutes. He will no longer be there to deal with the ball as often as in years past.
The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the NBA or its organizations.
