NBA Rumors: After suffering an ankle injury, there’s concern that Kevin Durant could be out for the remainder of the regular season for the Phoenix Suns.
In three games that Kevin Durant played with his new team, the Pheonix Suns, the team was 3-0. They looked to have an unstoppable offense and good enough defense that would suggest this team would be a true title contender heading into the NBA Playoffs.
However, all of that hope could now be in jeopardy. That’s because an ankle injury could throw a huge wrench in the Suns’ chances to win a championship this season. During his pre-game warmup Wednesday, Durant slipped and appeared to have suffered an ankle sprain.
The team held him out of the game in precaution and there was initial hope that he had not suffered a significant injury. However, the tune surrounding KD’s injury has changed.
According to a recent report, there is some concern that KD suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain. If so, that could leave his timeline to return between 4-6 weeks. And if that is the timeline, it would likely mean that he wouldn’t return before the end of the regular season and that he could miss the start of the playoffs.
The Phoenix Suns could theoretically survive without Kevin Durant for a few weeks
While the Suns could survive without KD in the lineup for a few weeks, I’m not sure how ideal that is for a team that is trying to round into playoff shape. This is not the same old Suns team. They no longer have the depth to overcome such losses to starting players. Even though the Suns are still talented at the top, I’m not sure they have the depth that would secure this team’s spot atop the West standings.
Currently, the Suns are the fourth seed in the West. And they have a three-game cushion over the fifth-seeded Golden State Warriors. However, this loss likely eliminates the Suns from making a big move up the standings. With Kevin Durant, the second seed was likely in play. Especially with how well they were playing.
Now, though, I believe the goal should be to retain the fourth seed and hold on to positioning in hopes that KD will be able to return for the playoffs.
Hopefully, the injury isn’t that serious. It would be quite unfortunate if this team is not healthy heading into the playoffs.