The Phoenix Suns are sliding down a slippery slope at the moment, and superstar forward Kevin Durant’s body language has been called into question. Durant seemed unengaged and wasn’t putting in a lot of effort during the 128-114 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, which has left some wondering if he has checked out.
Has Kevin Durant checked out 🤔 pic.twitter.com/yUm19G0voR
— Low (@owlow_) December 26, 2023
These are just a few clips, but they are certainly not a good look for Durant and this is not the same player that we saw at the start of the season. The 35-year-old was carrying the Suns on his back earlier, but it almost seems like he has given up now. He is not engaged on defense and is being rather careless with the ball as well.
Durant only had 16 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 block against the Mavericks and shot just 4-11 from the field. He was facing a lot of double teams, but you wish he had been a bit more assertive at times on offense. His numbers for the season still look great, as he is averaging 30.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game, but something just seems off at the moment.
Kevin Durant Says His Poor Play Has Held The Team Back
To Durant’s credit, he admitted he needs to play better after the game. In his postgame media session, the 13-time All-Star said his turnovers are holding the team back.
“I got to be better. I think that’s holding the team back.”
"I got to be better. I think that's holding the team back."
Kevin Durant on turnovers as had six Monday after committing seven Friday at Sacramento and five last week at Portland. #Suns #Mavs pic.twitter.com/RoNyE5r03W
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) December 26, 2023
Durant is averaging 3.6 turnovers per game this season and after recording six of them against the Mavericks, he now has 18 turnovers in his last three games. That is just flat-out terrible, but I’d place some of the blame for that on the Suns.
Their decision to not have a proper point guard on the team has led to Durant and Devin Booker shouldering that playmaking burden. While both are capable playmakers, they will inevitably turn it over a fair bit.
That lack of a natural playmaker has also severely hurt this team in the fourth quarter of games. The Suns have a point differential of -96 in the fourth this season, which is the worst in the NBA.
Here against the Mavericks, they were leading 92-91 entering the final period and proceeded to get outscored 37-22, to fall to 14-15. These collapses have been the theme all season long for Phoenix and you don’t see a reason why that would change unless some moves are made.
Kevin Durant’s Frustrations Are Known By The Suns
What gives some credence to the notion that Durant has checked out, is that this performance came on the back of an interesting report from NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski. Woj stated that Durant’s frustrations with their rough start to the season are known to the Suns.
“Let’s start with Kevin Durant. He talked to people around the Phoenix organization. They can feel the frustration with Durant. Part of it is because of the missed game for Bradley Beal. This team was built around those three stars… They lack the assets to go out and improve this team. This is something they have to manage in Phoenix with Kevin Durant. It’s a stark reminder of how short of a window. This team needs to win big and win big quickly. Having Kevin Durant still play at an All-NBA level and be healthy, there’s a lot at stake for this organization. “
Durant should have known what to expect when the Suns traded for Bradley Beal. His latest injury was a freakish one, but prior to that, Beal missed significant time due to his back issue, which has existed for a while now.
His injury history and massive contract were why the Suns didn’t have to part with much to acquire him. So, with that being the case, you can’t really be all that frustrated by his long absence, considering that always had been a very real possibility. You can sympathize with Durant to an extent, but he should have seen this coming.
For those who missed Durant’s performance, you can check it out down below.
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