Durant and a happy debut at Phoenix Suns

A fan who had traveled all the way from Phoenix, more a fan of the lanky newcomer than of his hometown team, was waiting to greet him before the game with the jerseys of every team KD had ever played for. He didn’t mind at all that 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, to understand that he would not be the first offensive reference here and, at the same time, to contribute what he does best: score, score, score. His first points came quickly: he received a pass from Chris Paul, attacked the rim and scored a left-handed layup not even 2 minutes into the game. Easy Money’, as KD calls himself.

In this way, Durant began to close the gap that separates him from Oscar Robertson, who is 13th on the list of most points in NBA history. Before the game, the gap was 27 and after, with the 23 points he scored, it was only 4.

KD’s repertoire after that first conversion was focused on his classics: three-pointers and, above all, mid-range shots, from where he did the most damage with 6 hits in 9 attempts. Durant had no problems against any of the 7 defenders he shot against: he converted them all: Gordon Hayward, Bryce McGowens, Kelly Oubre Jr., Nick Richards, Dennis Smith Jr., Mark Williams and Kai Jones.

Durant looked comfortable in the Suns’ structure, which has Devin Booker as the main attacking player (he was the top scorer with 37 points), but has in Paul an exquisite point guard who knows how and when to give play to each of his stars. An assist for Booker, another for DeAndre Ayton, a pass to Durant and everyone was happy.

If there was one negative aspect of KD’s debut with Phoenix, it is that the team’s offensive efficiency went down when he and Booker shared the court. With one or the other resting the Suns fared better than with both playing.

Beyond this detail, Durant produced good numbers without a high demand of minutes. Ideal for a player who was coming off a sprained right knee on January 8 and who, at 34 years old and with a history of injuries on his back, needs to wisely manage 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 converted in his first game with Golden State Warriors in 2016, although he suffered a tough 29-point loss to San Antonio Spurs that night. He also lost in his first NBA game, in which he scored 18 points for Seattle SuperSonics against Denver Nuggets. On the other hand, the only win in a debut before last night’s was with Brooklyn Nets against the Warriors, when he scored 22 points.

Durant’s 23 points in his Suns debut appear in ninth place on the list of players who scored the most in their first game with Phoenix. Nothing wonderful, but only he and Isaiah Thomas, of the 16 who scored more than 20 points in that situation, did so in less than 30 minutes.

The 105-91 away win and the good individual and collective performance allowed Durant to relax and show a smile. Hugs with all his teammates, especially Booker, and a happy ending to the first page of KD’s history with the Suns.