Kevin Durant Would Play Through Injury If Playoffs Started, Says Suns GM James Jones

Phoenix Suns general manager James Jones suggested this week that the organization is handling Kevin Durant and his ankle injury with an abundance of caution.

Speaking to the Arizona Republic (h/t HoopsHype), Jones said the following about KD's status: "If the playoffs started today, he'd be out there. He'd be struggling a little bit."

The team announced Thursday that the 34-year-old sprained his left ankle and would be reevaluated in three weeks.

The injury occurred when he slipped and fell during pregame warm-ups for Phoenix's home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, which the team went on to win 132-101.

Durant has been dealing with a string of misfortunes throughout this season. He suffered a sprained MCL on Jan. 8 while with the Brooklyn Nets that kept him out for nearly two months. After being traded to the Suns, he returned on March 1 but played in only three games before injuring his ankle.

When he's been healthy, the two-time NBA champion has been one of the best players in the league with averages of 29.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists while connecting on a career-high 56.6 percent of his field goals.

The 13-time All-Star has struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons, as he hasn't played in 60 games or more since the 2018-19 campaign. He had suffered a torn Achilles in the 2019 NBA Finals as a member of the Golden State Warriors, and he's been hobbled by various leg injuries since then.

The Suns were hoping that acquiring Durant would cement their status as title contenders, and while that may still prove to be the case, they aren't taking any chances with his health now that the playoffs are on the horizon.

Phoenix is in solid position in fourth place in the Western Conference at 37-30, and if Durant can get close to full health by the end of the regular season, the Suns may be the team to beat out West.