Kevin Durant appeared in 75 games in total for the Phoenix Suns when the 2023-24 regular season concluded. That’s more games than he played in any season with the Brooklyn Nets and the most he’s played since the 2018-19 season with the Golden State Warriors.
In an exclusive interview with AZCentral’s Duane Rankin, Durant explained how he managed to stay on the floor.
“No players flopped into my legs this year,” Durant said in an April 15 story. “Last two years, I had my teammate flop into me and an opponent flop into me two straight years that caused me to get MCL injuries. If it wasn’t for that, I probably would’ve been out there the same amount of games, but I’m glad nobody flopped into me. Had a couple of nagging injuries, but it was day-to-day type of stuff. I’m grateful for that.”
Durant revealed how he will continue to stay away from the injury bug.
“Just stay away from the crash dummies, you know. The dudes who try to sell calls and don’t mind hurting people by diving on the floor trying to sell a call. I know who those guys are, and I try to stay away from them.”
The Suns lost Devin Booker and Bradley Beal for extended periods during the 2023-24 season. Had they lost Durant too, there’s no telling where they would have placed in the Western Conference standings.
Kevin Durant Among Players Who Make Team USA Roster
On April 15, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Durant was among the players who have made the 2024 Team USA Roster. Not only that, but Durant was not the only Sun.
“USA Basketball is finalizing its 2024 Paris Olympics roster with Steph Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker, Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards, Jrue Holiday, Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis. Team may initially keep one open spot,” Wojnarowski wrote via his X account.
This will mark the fourth time Durant has represented Team USA in the Olympics. He has played for the team in 2012, 2016, and 2020. The last year was technically played in 2021 since the world was going through the COVID-19 pandemic.
This marks the second time that Booker has played for the team, but he did play for the U.S.A. Select team in 2016.
Kevin Durant’s Previous Knee Injury
As Durant mentioned, he suffered one of his injuries due to unfortunate circumstances. When the Nets played the Miami Heat on January 8, 2023, Jimmy Butler accidentally fell into Durant’s knee.
Durant was diagnosed with a torn MCL. The Nets were 27-13 and looked like one of the best teams in the NBA before Durant’s injury. That was also the last game he played for the Nets before they traded him to the Suns at the NBA Trade Deadline.
Durant has had misfortune with injuries since tearing his Achilles in game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals. Injuries have hurt him and his teammates, as their absences have also gotten in the way of potential success. He has not had the same misfortune in Phoenix this season, but time will tell if he can stay on the court during the playoffs.
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