Kevin Durant gets brutally honest on 'what sucks' so much about Suns injury woes

12/20/2024 02:50 PM

Injuries come and go in the NBA, and the same can be said specifically for the Phoenix Suns. After Devin Booker left the Suns game on Thursday with a groin injury, it added more gasoline to the injury fire that’s plagued the team since the beginning of the season. While Durant and Bradley Beal in the 120-112 loss to the Indiana Pacers, Booker’s injury was an amalgamation of the season with the Big 3. Durant spoke to reporters postgame and reiterated how painful it is for injuries to occur.

"That's what sucks,” Durant said. “We hate that. Injuries can get in the web of beautiful basketball, the game of basketball. Just like you said, it's a part of it, but it’s still tough to take. So, hopefully Book gets better by the hour, and we’ll see how he feels the next couple of days and move on from there."

3️⃣Suns Big Three (so far):

Game 2 – Beal hurt
Game 4 – Beal returns
Game 4 – Beal hurt
Game 6 – Beal returns
Game 9 – Durant hurt
Game 11 – Beal returns
Game 11 – Beal hurt
Game 17 – Durant returns, Beal returns
Game 18 – Beal hurt
Game 20 – Beal returns, Durant hurt
Game 24 -…

— PHX Fans (@PHXFansAZ) December 20, 2024

Booker’s injury marks the first of the season. However, it doesn’t mark the first injury of the Suns Big 3 this season. Durant and Beal have each played 16 games this season, while Booker has played in all 27. During that time, the offense ran solely through the Phoenix shooting guard. Opposing defenses trapped him and picked him up full court, which made life incredibly difficult.

He’s averaging 36.6 minutes per game, the highest of his career. Although the rest of the Suns roster stepped up, not having the two top stars hurts the team on both sides of the court. Still, the team is 13-3 with Durant playing. In those 16 games, Booker has been available and contributed greatly.

Kevin Durant isn’t the only one who feels about the Suns injury woes

Center Jusuf Nurkic feels them to a significant degree. In the preseason, Nurkic suffered an injury, which limited the Suns continuity. Fast forward to December, and now it’s Booker dealing with an injury. In the locker room postgame, he elaborated on the difficulties of finding that continuity within the team through constant injuries.

"It is hard… even the players that play, I feel like it is hard,” Nurkic said. “Sometimes, you just don't know what it is or what the rotation will be, but that is part of the NBA life. We have to figure it out; we have a good team. Makes you think we are going to play differently with people out. I think it is the next man up, capitalize more people in the offense, and not rely on KD as much.

Nurkic makes a valid point regarding the team overusing Durant. He has a 29% usage rate, the highest on the team. Despite the all-star forward being an elite scorer, it takes a lot of energy and effort to score nearly every play. At 36 years old, Durant is as effective as he’s ever been. Still, preserving his health should be the top objective, especially with Booker out.

Now, it’ll be up to Beal and Durant to carry the offensive burden for the team. With their injury history this season, it makes fans question what’ll happen. Can they play substantially more minutes? Will they have more playmaking and defensive responsibilities? With Booker’s indefinite timetable to return, roles will be increased once again.

Suns have a silver lining with Bradley Beal’s return

If there’s a silver lining in anything, it was a return to action for a certain someone. Beal missed two games with right knee swelling and has dealt with some unusual injuries throughout the season. When he’s played, he’s been one of the more effective players on the team. A three-level scorer who can go for 30 points any night is great. Even with that, his efficiency has been one of the more impressive elements.

He’s shooting 50% from the field and 36.7% from three. Beal has had a couple of rough games from three, but he’s stuck with his bread and butter. Beal can attack the basket as well as anyone on the team. From less than eight feet, he is shooting 72.5%. The ability to put the ball on the floor and get downhill has been highlighted more this season with the former Florida basketball standout. Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer explained how nice it is to have Beal back and fully healthy.

"I think he had some good stretches,” Budenholzer said. It's always great to have Brad back on both ends of the court. I think he’s going to get better with each game, try and put game after game together, and put play after play. So, it’s great to have Brad back."

Phoenix will have to adopt a next-man up mentality once again. Luckily, players like Royce O’Neale, Tyus Jones, and Grayson Allen have all stepped up when their number was called. They’ll need to elevate their games again, in addition to Durant and Beal if they want to exit the New Year with positive momentum.

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