Suns Forward Kevin Durant Ready to be Unleashed

It's finally playoff time in the NBA, and the Phoenix Suns are not messing around.

The Suns are set to begin their first round series against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, April 16. They finally plan on unleashing the bandage off of Kevin Durant as he could see over 40 minutes of playing time in the playoffs.

“Could be more,” Williams said via Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin before the Suns’ loss Friday against the Lakers. “You just read the situation and the player and try to make the best decision for the team, but when you look at his history, he can do that.”

"Could be more."

Monty Williams on Kevin Durant playing even more than 40 minutes a game in the playoffs. #Suns pic.twitter.com/tamZuXaFvr
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) April 8, 2023

Durant has been plagued with injuries this season and has been on a minute restriction for the majority of his time in Phoenix so far. He finally broke the 40-minute mark in the Suns’ win against the Denver Nuggets on Friday Mar. 31, and Durant could barely contain his excitement about it after the game.

“Forty is the number I love,” Durant said via Rankin. “I like hovering around that number.”

Through his 11 years in the playoffs, Durant has averaged 40.4 minutes per game. One of Durant’s signature games came in game five of the 2021 playoffs where he willed the Brooklyn Nets to a 114-108 win against the Milwaukee Bucks playing all 48 minutes of the game including overtime while dropping an impressive 49 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists.

With arguably the most playoff experience on the team, it will be important for Durant to set the tone and establish himself as the best player on the court for either team, regardless of the opponent.

At 34-years-old, Durant is still producing on offense at an elite level but the main concern is his health. Since tearing his Achilles back in the 2019 NBA Finals, Durant has been unable to stay healthy consistently.

For a team with high championship aspirations like the Suns, an injury to Durant is a scary thought. There is always a risk in trading for a player like Durant who is more or less in the latter part of his career but his upside when on the court is so high resulting in the Suns pulling the trigger anyway.

It's time we see Durant unleashed.