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Kevin Durant missed significant time in 2022 and 2023 after sustaining MCL injuries for consecutive years. Both were contact injuries. Durant made 75 appearances this year for the Phoenix Suns. He was relatively injury-free and available, avoiding any contact blows.
Durant claimed that he could have played just as much in the past two seasons, but unfortunate contact injuries derailed his quest to do so. While reflecting on that, Durant also fired an indirect shot at Jimmy Butler, calling him a "crash dummy."
“No players flopped into my legs this year," Durant said. "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."
Butler fell onto Durant's knees after driving down the lane. Durant wasn't in the frame or attempting to block Butler's shot. He was going after the ball when Butler rolled onto his right knee. The injury occurred on Jan. 8, 2024. It was the last time Durant suited up for the Brooklyn Nets. He missed two months of action and made his debut for the Phoenix Suns on his comeback.
Meanwhile, in 2022, Kevin Durant suffered the same setback after Bruce Brown Jr. crashed into his knee while running back on defense. That kept KD out for a couple of months, too. In both cases, the Nets gave up a significant chance of securing an NBA championship.
Phoenix Suns secure six seed behind Kevin Durant's healthy season
The Phoenix Suns are heading to the playoffs as the sixth seed. They avoided the play-in tournament after a season finale win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, their first-round opponents. A little help from the LA Lakers, who beat the New Orleans Pelicans, also contributed to the Suns making it to the playoffs as a top-six seed.
However, the Suns wouldn't have been in this position without Kevin Durant being healthy. The 14x NBA All-Star kept the Suns afloat amid Devin Booker and Bradley Beal's injury-prone seasons as the star guards missed a combined 43 games this season.
Kevin Durant averaged 27.1 points, tied for a team-high with Devin Booker, with 6.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists. He was also their best defensive player among the stars. The Suns have endured a difficult season, and they could have been much lower in the standings if Durant wasn't durable.
The team will hope to make the most of his presence and availability in the playoffs.
Guess the Lakers players!
