He arrived serious, concentrated. All dressed in black, with a wool cap due to the low temperatures of Charlotte, he crossed the corridor towards the visiting locker room of the Spectrum Center, the home of the Hornets. Not even the face on the yellow background of the print on her shirt showed a smile. Kevin Durant was focused on his Phoenix Suns debut.
A fan who had traveled from Phoenix, more of a fan of the soon-to-be-released skinny than of his hometown outfit, was waiting to greet him before the game wearing the jerseys of every team KD had played for. He didn’t mind the serial scorer’s tendency to change colors when the wind started to blow against him.
The first objective for Durant was to adapt to the Suns’ style of play, understand that he would not be the first offensive reference here and, at the same time, contribute what he does best: score, score and score. His first points came quickly: he received a pass from Chris Paul, attacked the rim and finished on a layup with his left hand when less than 2 minutes had elapsed. ‘Easy Money’, as KD calls itself.
In this way, Durant began to reduce the difference that separates him from Oscar Robertson, who ranks 13th on the list for the most points in NBA history. Before the game, the gap was 27 and after, with the 23 he converted, it was only 4.
KD’s repertoire after that first conversion pointed to his classics: triples and, above all, medium-range shots, from where he did the most damage with 6 hits in 9 attempts. Durant had no problem against any of the 7 defenders he pitched against: he converted them all: Gordon Hayward, Bryce McGowens, Kelly Oubre Jr., Nick Richards, Dennis Smith Jr., Mark Williams and Kai Jones.
Durant seemed comfortable in the structure of the Suns, which has Devin Booker as the main route of attack (he was the top scorer with 37 points), but who has an exquisite point guard in Paul who knows how and when to play each of his stars. An assist for Booker, another for Deandre Aytona rating to Durant and everyone happy.
If something negative could be marked from KD’s debut with Phoenix, it is that the team’s offensive efficiency dropped when he and Booker shared the field. With one or the other resting the Suns fared better than with both on the line.
Beyond this detail, Durant produced good numbers without a high demand for minutes. Ideal for a player who was coming off a sprained right knee on January 8 and who, already 34 years old and with a history of injuries behind him, needs wise administration of his time on the court.
Of Durant’s four NBA team debuts, this was the second-best in terms of points, second only to the 27 he scored in his first game with the Golden State Warriors in 2016, although he suffered a tough 29-2 loss that night. to San Antonio Spurs. He also lost in his first NBA game, in which he scored 18 points for the Seattle SuperSonics against the Denver Nuggets. Instead, the only win in a debut before last night was with the Brooklyn Nets against the Warriors, when he scored 22 points.
Durant’s 23 points in his Suns debut rank ninth on the list of players who scored the most in his first game with Phoenix. Nothing wonderful, but only him and Isaiah Thomas, of the 16 who scored 20+ points in that situation, did it in less than 30 minutes.
The 105-91 road victory and good individual and collective performances allowed Durant to relax and smile. Hugs to all of his teammates, especially Booker, and a happy ending to the first page of KD’s story with the Suns.
