Kevin Durant Out One Week, Suns’ Season Slipping Away

The Phoenix Suns will be without star forward Kevin Durant for the next week as he nurses an ankle sprain. With just seven games remaining on the schedule, the Suns are one game back of 10th place in the Western Conference and are in danger of missing the play-in tournament.

Durant suffered the injury in Sunday’s game to the Houston Rockets. The Suns were embarrassed on their home floor by a younger and more athletic Rockets team. Phoenix was down 39 points heading into the final frame and ended up losing 148-109. Durant was limited to 23 minutes and scored just 11 points — his lowest scoring output of the season.

Out for at least a week, Durant is set to miss Phoenix’s upcoming three-game East Coast road trip — Milwaukee, Boston, and New York. A possible return date given the timeline could be Apr. 8 when the Suns host the Golden State Warriors.

There’s a real chance Durant’s absence may ultimately end Phoenix’s playoff hopes. The Suns are 2-11 when Durant sits this year. Without him, it’s difficult to envision pulling off a single win on the upcoming road trip. More scoring responsibility will be placed on Devin Booker who has been awfully quiet as of late — 22.3 PPG in March.

Following an 8-1 start to the season, the Suns are 27-39 over their last 66 games. They have the eighth worst record in the NBA during that span — the Trail Blazers and Spurs have more wins since then. Several factors have played into Phoenix’s disappointing season including injuries, a clunky roster, uneven effort, and poor coaching.

By the numbers, the Suns should be performing at a much higher level. Durant and Booker are All-Stars. Tyus Jones has given them another playmaking guard who rarely turns the ball over. Jones, Grayson Allen, and Royce O’Neale are all above 40-percent from three. Nick Richards has been an upgrade over Jusuf Nurkic. Ryan Dunn has given them good minutes as a rookie.

It’s a situation where the whole is less than the sum of its parts. Phoenix’s three stars — remember, Bradley Beal still technically plays for this team — have never quite meshed together.

Beal’s inability to stay on the floor has been a major issue. He hasn’t played since Mar. 16 and has appeared in only 48 games this year. The former Wizard hasn’t played over 60 games in a season since 2019. His contract has two years left and he still holds a no-trade clause.

First-year coach Mike Budenholzer got off to a hot start, but his team is fading. He doesn’t have to look too far back in time to know that he’s firmly on the hot seat. Budenholzer took over for Frank Vogel who was fired after finishing 49-33 in his lone season as the Suns’ head coach.

Team owner Mat Ishbia sent a shockwave across the league when he acquired Durant from the Nets two years ago. If the Suns fall out of the play-in tournament, will it inspire him to clean house? Or will it just be another offseason with a coaching change and a couple of minor additions?