Kevin Durant Expresses Optimism About Suns' Future: 'I Just Believe in the Talent'

The Phoenix Suns have reeled off seven wins in their last 10 games to right the ship amid their disappointing first half, and Kevin Durant believes that's just a sign of things to come.

"I just believe in the talent, and the coaching, that we have. I believe that, regardless of anything, we're gonna play extremely hard, and we're gonna play with that mindset of togetherness and find our stride," Durant said, per Sam Amick of The Athletic. "There's gonna be some ups and downs throughout this time as we figure it out. But if we stay in the saddle, and we just keep knocking them down and locking in, every day matters. Get better individually and figure it out as a team. That's the grind we talk about."

Injuries to Bradley Beal marred Phoenix's effort over the first half of the season, with the All-Star guard only on the floor for 15 games. The Suns have been unable to get into a rhythm as a result and currently sit 21-18, good for eighth place in the Western Conference.

Luckily for the Suns, this is not a season filled with juggernaut teams at the top of the conference. They are just two games behind the fifth-seeded Sacramento Kings heading into Tuesday night's game between the two teams, and they're about to embark on a winnable stretch that could send them vaulting up the standings. None of Phoenix's next 11 games are against teams currently in the top four of their respective conference.

Durant, Beal and Devin Booker remain the NBA's premier trio of scorers. There is no team that can keep up with them when they're all healthy and firing, but health will be paramount to keeping the top-heavy roster on the winning track.

Durant has not played in more than 55 games in a season since rupturing his Achilles in the 2019 NBA Finals. Booker was limited to just 53 games last season and has not played more than 70 games since 2016-17. Beal is already on pace to miss 30-plus games for the third straight year.

We've already seen the Suns show signs of cracking without Beal, who is the least consequential of their three All-Stars. If Durant or Booker winds up missing significant time as they have in recent years, Phoenix could wind up finding itself as the league's most expensive play-in team.

As it stands, Durant is steadfast in his belief this Suns roster can turn things around.