Breaking Down Kevin Durant's Ankle Injury And Potential Return Timeline
The Phoenix Suns went out and made the biggest splash at the NBA trade deadline this season by trading for 13-time All-Star Kevin Durant, but Durant has not played much for the Suns due to injuries.
Coming over from the Brooklyn Nets, Durant was in the midst of recovering from an MCL sprain in his right knee and when he was finally healthy, he played in just three games before suffering an ankle injury in pregame warmups ahead of his home debut in Phoenix.
On March 9, the Suns announced that Kevin Durant sustained a left ankle sprain and would be re-evaluated in three weeks.
In those three games with the two-time champion on the floor, the Suns went 3-0 with Durant averaging 26.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 69.0 percent from the floor and 53.8 percent from three-point range.
When he is healthy, Kevin Durant is one of the greatest players in the entire league. However, he has had trouble remaining available and now with this injury occurring about a month before the end of the regular season, there is a reason for the Suns to be somewhat panicked.
They gave up Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson, amongst other future assets, for Durant and now with the star forward being sidelined, the Suns are basically down three players in a way since Bridges and Johnson provided much-needed scoring depth for this team.
Going all-in to try and win a championship this year, not having Durant on the floor leaves a major hole for the Suns to try and fill, so when will the star potentially return?
While the team has not given any timetable on when he could potentially return to the floor, they did mention when he would be re-evaluated, as three weeks from Mar. 9 would be Mar. 30, meaning the Suns would still have six games remaining in the regular season.
Should things check out with Durant’s ankle and he is not experiencing any major pain or discomfort doing little things like running, jumping and moving side-to-side, he could absolutely return to the floor with a minutes restriction for the final three to four games of the regular season, multiple NBA medical professionals shared with Fastbreak on FanNation.
There is also a scenario in which Durant may not return at all before the playoffs, as ankle injuries can be tough. Lateral ankle sprains can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to several weeks to fully heal, as it depends on the severity of the injury in regards to Grade 1, 2 or 3 sprain.
As long as his range of motion and ankle strength is where it needs to be upon re-evaluation, Kevin Durant will likely return to the floor in a three to four week window.
This is certainly good news, as Durant should be able to return to the floor at some point before the playoffs begin, but this injury is definitely going to affect the Suns chemistry.
Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton are all high IQ players, but chemistry wins championships and this is something the Suns don’t have right now simply because Durant has not been on the floor.
For this reason, plus the fact that he could be limited in the first week or so returning from his ankle injury, Phoenix’s chances of contending for a title at the highest-level possible is certainly in doubt.
Only time will tell at this point what the immediate future holds for the Phoenix Suns, as time is the only thing that can get Durant back out on the floor.
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