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Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant is progressing toward a return to the court. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Durant could be back in the Suns’ starting lineup before the end of March.
While appearing on FanDuel TV, Charania gave an update on the status of Durant, who has played in just three games after being acquired before the NBA’s trade deadline. “Kevin Durant’s doing more and more on the court. I would expect more evaluations later this week. I think there will be potentially an update later this week and early next week when they reevaluate him, and see exactly how much progress he’s made,” said Charania.
“But definitely there’s optimism within the Suns. They’re gonna be cautious, but they are hopeful he’s going to be back in the lineup before the end of March, potentially early April. The goal was always 2-3 weeks, in that range, but they’re going to be cautious. They know the best time for him is playoff time so, making sure he’s 100 percent not rushing him back, I think that will be a priority as well,” Charania explained.
Durant rolled his ankle during a pregame accident on March 8 before his Phoenix home debut against the Oklahoma City Thunder. With Durant on the sidelines, the Suns have struggled, winning just two of their last six games.
Phoenix Playing It Cautious With Return of Kevin Durant
The good news for Suns fans is that their superstar forward is trending in the right direction toward returning to the lineup. Durant has been ramping up his on the court activities, according to azcentral’s Duane Rankin, and could potentially return to the lineup at the end of the month.
The Suns will finish up the month of March with a pair of home games. On March 29, the Suns will welcome the Minnesota Timberwolves before taking on the Denver Nuggets two days later. If the projected timetable is accurate, it could be one of those games in which Durant could make his long awaited home debut in front of Suns fans.
Durant has been sensational in his limited amount of time on the court with his new team. Over the course of three games, Durant has averaged 26.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. During that same span, Durant has shot 69.0% from the field and 53.8% from three-point range.
Suns Eyeing Important Stretch of Upcoming Games
Phoenix will continue to wait for the return of Durant to the floor. In the meantime, the team is eying a crucial stretch of games on their upcoming schedule. The Suns find themselves in fourth place in the Western Conference standings. Phoenix has won five of their last 10 games, but a competitive Western Conference has them in danger of slipping down the ranks.
The Los Angeles Clippers remain just half a game behind the Suns for fourth place in the West. The sixth place Dallas Mavericks are also hot in pursuit, as they are just two games back of the Suns. Phoenix will have two more important games on their current three-game road trip before returning home.
They are set to take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday before ending their trip with a game against the red hot Sacramento Kings on Friday. Despite their recent struggles, Suns superstar Devin Booker has been sensational with his recent play.
In his last six games, Booker is averaging 33.2 points per game while shooting 58.2% from the field. Booker will need someone to step up beside him, as the Suns look to maintain their spot in the standings with the NBA playoffs looming.
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