All of the anticipation surrounding Kevin Durant joining the Phoenix Suns will come to a head Wednesday evening when he suits up for the Suns for the first time since being traded by the Brooklyn Nets ahead of the Feb. 9 deadline. The team officially announced Durant's debut will come on Wednesday against the Charlotte Hornets, marking the beginning of what has the potential to be a very successful partnership with K.D. and the Suns.
Durant hasn't played since Jan. 8 after suffering an MCL sprain while with the Nets, but during Phoenix's shootaround Tuesday afternoon, the Finals MVP spoke positively about his return from injury.
"I feel great, I'm looking forward to getting this opportunity to play again," Durant said. "It's been a long time, I was having fun out there before I got injured, so I'm looking forward to going out there and picking up where I left off. I know it's not going to be that smooth, it's going to take me some time to get used to everything, but as far as just having fun and getting lost in the game, I'm looking forward to doing that again."
The last time we saw Durant on an NBA court, he was operating at MVP levels. The scoring was typical K.D. stuff, 29.7 points a night, to go along with 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists. But what really stood out was the efficiency in which Durant was getting his buckets. The former league MVP was shooting a career-high 55.9 percent from the field, a ridiculous number that only very few in the league could reach. Now he gets to take those dominant, efficient numbers to a Suns team primed for a deep postseason run.
Phoenix hasn't been as dominant as we saw last season, although that's primarily due to injuries, specifically to Devin Booker who just returned three weeks ago from a groin strain. Now that Booker is back in the saddle, and Durant's return is about 24 hours away, Phoenix can begin to build some chemistry with its new-look team in hopes of capturing the franchise's first championship.
