Getty Suns stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker
After the Phoenix Suns completed their practice on March 21 in Los Angeles, star shooting guard Devin Booker was asked by reporters how superstar small forward Kevin Durant has been able to fit in pretty quickly with every team he’s played for.
Booker, who is averaging 28.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists on the season, didn’t mince words.
“He’s unstoppable,” Booker said about Durant. “He just understands the game. He’s been doing this his whole entire life at the highest level, and even when you watch him do it, he just seems unfazed and unbothered by any type of situation that he’s thrown in.”
Durant has appeared in three games with the Suns since being traded by the Brooklyn Nets. The two-time champion and two-time Finals MVP is averaging 26.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 69.0% from the field, 53.8% from 3 and 88.2% from the free-throw line. The Suns are 3-0 with Durant in the lineup.
A future Hall of Famer, Durant is currently out with a left ankle sprain. The Texas product injured himself on March 8 during pregame warmups at the Footprint Center.
Devin Booker: ‘Everybody Knows the Goal’
Booker told reporters that “everybody knows the goal” when he was asked what the Suns expect to accomplish when Durant returns to the lineup. Phoenix is in fourth place in the Western Conference standings with a record of 38-33. The top six seeds in the conference automatically make the postseason, while seeds 7-10 make the play-in tournament.
“I mean, I think everybody knows the goal,” Booker said. “We had our Finals experience even when he wasn’t here, and bringing in a champ, a two-time champ, he knows what it takes. We’re gonna follow that lead.”
Durant won two titles with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018. The Suns believe their Big 4 of Durant, Booker, Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul can win it all this season once KD recovers from his injury and gets back into rhythm, sources told Heavy Sports.
Kevin Durant Could Be Back Before the End of March or Early April
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium said on March 20 that Durant could be back before the end of March or early April. The one-time MVP is “doing more and more on the court.”
“Kevin Durant is doing more & more on the court… [The Suns] are hopeful that he’s gonna be back in the lineup before the end of March, potentially early April”
@ShamsCharania with the latest on Kevin Durant’s injury
Durant was seen taking standstill jumpers on March 16. Suns head coach Monty Williams said that was “just part of his progression.”
“It’s just part of his progression,” Williams said on March 16. “He hasn’t done anything outside of that. We obviously have to not just be careful, but a lot of boxes need to be checked. So we’ll see how he responds to standard shooting today, we’ll re-evaluate tomorrow and every day is a progression. That’s what he’s done. It’s a normal progression to this type of injury and that’s just where he is right now. Now he’s just doing standstill shots.”
In the three games Durant played with Booker, the former averaged 26.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists, while the latter averaged 36.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists. The Suns beat the Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks.