The Phoenix Suns’ impressive 8-1 start to the season has now taken a negative turn. Star forward Kevin Durant has landed on the injury report due to a left calf strain. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
What this means for Kevin Durant:
This is a disappointing turn for 36-year-old Kevin Durant, who was off to an excellent start to the season. Through the opening nine games, he has averaged 27.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists and has been vital to Phoenix on both sides of the floor.
Expect the Suns to approach this cautiously as Durant has battled calf and low leg injuries throughout his career. This is especially the case considering it is the early portion of the season and factoring in Durant’s age.
While he has battled his fair share of injuries throughout his career, Durant served as a stabilizing force for the Suns last season suiting up for 75 of the 82 games. In contrast, Devin Booker played 68 games last year while Bradley Beal was limited to 53 games.
The two-time Finals MVP will be sidelined for at least the next two weeks and it should not be a surprise if this period extends longer. Durant has proven capable of picking up right where he left off throughout his career, and expectations should resume for his play when he does return.
What this means for the Phoenix Suns:
The Phoenix Suns knew the situation when they committed $49.2 million or more per year to each of their three superstars. However, they must live with the other two stepping up in his absence and also will need some help from some of their role players.
Look towards Ryan Dunn as the biggest beneficiary of Durant’s available minutes. The 6-foot-8 rookie has opened up eyes with his play through the early games and is looking like a potential steal of the draft.
Dunn has played in eight of the first nine games including starting in two of the matchups. In his 15.9 minutes per game, he has averaged 6.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. He also is shooting 39.4% on three-point attempts and has connected on 13 of his 33 attempts. His strong play has brought Dunn into the Rookie of the Year conversation and he currently holds the fifth-best odds at +1500.
This is extremely surprising as Dunn was looked at as a project on the offensive side of the ball coming out of college. While he has proven to be one of the best perimeter defenders from the second he stepped into the league, Dunn struggled greatly on the offensive end in college.
Across the two seasons he spent at Virginia, Dunn shot just 23.5% from beyond the three-point arc on 51 total attempts. Even more concerning he connected on just 52.5% of his free-throw attempts which included several airballs and ugly-looking releases during this time.
Whether or not his shot is truly fixed will be discovered during this stretch without Kevin Durant. The shooting release has looked significantly better, but Dunn would not be the first player to fool fans with outlier shooting performances to start the year. Expect Phoenix to put more on his plate in Durant’s absence and for there to be a clearer consensus for what he can be as a player by the time Durant returns.
In addition, Royce O’Neale will likely see an uptick in opportunity and second-round pick Oso Ighodaro may see more minutes. Jusuf Nurkic will also be more necessary to the team due to his impact on rebounding the basketball. There also will be more pressure on Booker and Beal as they will be asked to carry the offense.
Futures Outlook:
There is still plenty of reason for belief in this Suns team and this is early enough in the season that Durant’s injury will not derail expectations.
Phoenix currently holds +1700 odds of winning the NBA championship on DraftKings Sportsbook, tied for the seventh-best odds in the NBA. They hold the fifth-best odds of winning the Western Conference at +800 and hold -600 odds of making the playoffs.
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