“I’m a basketball player, I enjoy to play, I want to play 48 minutes. That’s just what it is”. After playing for a game-high 41 minutes in 2021, Kevin Durant set bold expectations for himself. Given his prominence as a leader, players on his squad would’ve endorsed the idea of giving him more minutes. After all, in dire situations, a player like KD needs to step up. Even Michael Jordan had to play for 44 minutes after Scottie Pippen struggled with injury during Game 6 of the 1998 Finals. However, since he made that remark, Durant has aged and even sustained injuries. In light of this, if people remember his old remark, he may not want them to do so anymore!

Kevin Durant recently returned to the basketball court after being absent for 7 games because of a left calf strain. His absence affected the Phoenix Suns. They only secured a 1-6 win record during that period. Before the NBA Cup game against the Suns and the Lakers, KD discussed his on-court role. Highlighting a change in the team format, the player revealed, “Coach subs the game, doesn’t try to predetermine rotations. If we handle games early, I probably won’t play a lot of minutes. If we’re in a tight game, you can expect me to be out on the floor. So it depends on how we play as a unit.”

KD then appreciated the efforts that the coaching staff was taking to come out with a plan that works for the Suns. Even with this, while the recovery from his injury would limit his minutes, Durant still wants to give his best.

“36. I don’t know how much time I have left, so I wanna be up there as much as I can,” KD continued.

In the 9 games he has played this season, Kevin Durant has helped Phoenix win 8. But the issue is that the majority of these games were won by the squad with a pretty close point margin. In fact, the win against the Mavericks in late October was the sole instance, in the 9 games, when the Suns won by a double-digit margin. KD has averaged 38.8 minutes in the ongoing season!

To get back to a win streak, the Suns may have wanted their star player to get back to playing the same minutes. Kevin Durant will not be the only one returning from an absence. Phoenix will also welcome back Bradley Beal. The 31-year-old shooting guard/small forward can certainly take the offensive load off the 2x NBA Champ’s back. Despite this, KD will not be completely sidelined. After all, as a former NBA champion once highlighted, the player is just too valuable to be a bench-warmer.

Paul Pierce once highlighted Kevin Durant’s importance: “He just adds such a dimension to the team”

Kevin Durant already represented Team USA in 3 Olympics and won three gold medals. Therefore, there was no doubt that he would head to Paris for the 2024 edition. In fact, the final squad was probably the most star-studded, with LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards, Anthony Davis, and others making it up. Their presence was good, especially in light of KD’s calf strain casting doubts on his availability. However, for Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce, having the Suns star on the national team was essential.

“I think he just adds such a dimension to the team, and he’s the most experienced,” said Pierce in a statement. “He understands the rules, he understands the mentality you gotta have, he’s the leading scorer in the history, he understands international play… KD is different.”

So, whatever happens, there’s no doubt that having Kevin Durant back will increase the odds for the Suns in the upcoming games!