Is Kevin Durant playing tonight against Detroit Pistons? Exploring 2x NBA champion's availability for preseason game (Oct. 11)
Kevin Durant is entering his 17th season in the NBA coming off an electric Team USA run in the Paris 2024 Olympics. Ahead of the start of the 2024-25 season, Durant has already played in two of the Phoenix Suns' preseason games against the LA Lakers and the Detroit Pistons. Phoenix is scheduled to face the Pistons on Friday at the Footprint Center.
With no reports of an injury or plans of resting Durant on the bench, the Suns forward is expected to play. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. (Pacific Time) tip-off. The two-time NBA champion has not missed a step in his recent preseason outings, putting up numbers fans have grown accustomed to.
The 14-time NBA All-Star put up 27.1 points (52.3% shooting, including 41.3% from beyond the arc), 6.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game last season.
Kevin Durant talked about the team's mindset heading into the new season
Despite having Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, the Suns finished sixth in the Western Conference standings and got swept in the first round by the Timberwolves. It was a disappointing first-year stint for the Big Three as it didn't fulfill immense championship expectations.
However, a new season is fast approaching, and the Suns have the opportunity to bounce back from how the previous outing went down. During Day 2 of the team's training camp, Durant highlighted the team's focus on building great habits while keeping an NBA title as a unified goal. His comments were shared by The Arizona Republic's Duane Rankin.
"You talk about championships, but you really don't talk about it once the season starts and once the ball gets to bouncing because you want to build your habits every single day, but in the back of your mind, you know what the main goal is of the season. And you can tell that everybody in this locker room has that main goal," Durant said.
The team finished 10th offensively and 13th defensively last season. Its inconsistency in slowing down its opponents' offensive process crept up in the first-round matchup against Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves.
The team will be running almost the same roster with the much-needed latest addition of Tyus Jones at the point guard position. Despite ranking 10th in offensive ratings, Durant and the Phoenix Suns ran through some hurdles in executing sets per possession or getting quality movement.
How to watch the Detroit Pistons vs. Phoenix Suns preseason game?
The Detroit Pistons vs. Phoenix Suns can be watched through the NBA League Pass, a live-streaming platform.
It has four subscription packages. The standard monthly pass is $16.99/month, the premium monthly pass is $24.99/month, the standard seasonal pass is $109.99, and the premium seasonal pass is $159.99.