KD's Debut with the Phoenix Suns

After a long awaited return from injury, Kevin Durant finally makes his debut in his first game with the Phoenix Suns in an away game vs Buzz City. Doing what he does best, KD scores an easy 23 points in 27 minutes on the hardwood. It was an efficient 23 points, shooting a total of 10 for 15 from the field, going 2 for 4 from 3 and sinking one free throw at the line. He took no time getting into rhythm, scoring the second basket of the game with a strong drive to the basket and following up with a 26-foot 3 pointer bringing the score to 7-0.

As easy as it is for KD to score, this will always be the case for a player of his caliber and skillset, so the real question comes into play: will he be an impactful member of the team helping to lead to more wins or will he be focusing on getting his own?

Despite the Hornets missing one of their star players to injury, LaMelo Ball, this game was a sign of a good indicator that Durant will in fact be able to make a good impact on the Suns. Shooting alongside Devin Booker and Chris Paul, there is now a deadly triple threat for NBA teams to rearrange their defense in the backcourt, leaving them scrambling to find an answer that most teams will soon realize does not exist. With Booker and CP3 on the floor alongside KD it opens up the floor drastically, not to mention there’s always the opportunity to dish off to Deandre Ayton. Defenses will have to stay on their toes to keep up with all these players on the floor together. On the flip side, KD has a typically overlooked defensive game, perhaps due to lackadaisical effort at times or perhaps just due to a lack of skill. But that shouldn’t make you think things will come easy against the 7 foot Slim Reaper. Boasting a 7’5 wingspan, it’s not a surprise he caught 2 blocks in yesterday’s game, something he can do quite consistently if he so desires.

Not that the Hornets are a particularly great team especially with a missing LaMelo, however last night’s win was a good warm up game and display for things to come as the chemistry increases with KD and the Suns. The Suns maintained the lead throughout the entirety of the game even holding a consistent 10+ point lead after the first quarter. As they start to gel together more and more, they may even be able to finish the regular season as 2nd seed in the West, but for that we will have to stay tuned.

- Pushing P