"Just people hoping": Kevin Durant cites incoming schadenfreude about 'injury-prone' Suns amidst injuries to Devin Booker, Bradley Beal
Kevin Durant is no stranger to criticism and backlash when it comes to his famous team-ups alongside NBA stars such as Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving. Following his situation with the Brooklyn Nets, Durant decided to take his talents to the Phoenix Suns with the hope of adding a third championship to his resume.
Now on his fourth NBA team, he plays with two of the most lethal scorers in the league today, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. After the team's disappointing second-round exit, the Suns knew they needed to shake things up with the roster.
Coupled with Beal's no-trade clause, the acquisition of the three-time all-star made the Suns an elite offensive team that can easily cause havoc throughout the league. However, the All-Star team-up, sure enough, garnered mixed reactions from NBA fans, given Durant's track record and the implications of three 22+ points per game scorer all in the same team.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda's Mark Medina, Durant highlighted the ongoing concern from critics regarding the team's longevity being held back by injuries.
“I don’t look at that stuff like that,” Durant told Sportskeeda. “I know people have those concerns. But I just think that is just people hoping, to be honest, that we don’t finish the season. Every team can say, ‘Shouldn’t you be worried about injuries?’ Every team can say that.”
From Kevin Durant's perspective, he looks at injury concerns as more of people "hoping" that the Phoenix Suns come up short of their title aspirations. There's no denying the Suns' limited depth after their main starting five lineup. That's not to say that role players Eric Gordon, Grayson Allen, Yuta Watanabe, and Drew Eubanks aren't capable of providing quality minutes.
However, for the Suns to complete their championship goal by the end of the season, they need their three main all-stars ready and locked in for the long journey.
Kevin Durant talks about his mentality with the Phoenix Suns for the 2023-24 NBA season
Following the Suns' 108-104 victory over the Golden State Warriors in their regular season opener, the team was spotted putting in workout reps fresh off their big win, as per Cronkite News' Ryan McClure. The Suns forward described the extra reps as a unified mentality with the team.
"I think I'm still the 'Slim Reaper," Durant said. "I think I can rep that nickname. I am still skinny. Playing almost 1,000 games I know what physicality is like in the league. I know what I need my body to succeed out there. I just got to play as hard as I can."
"Just try to keep it at the preparation," Durant added. "I need to prepare the best that I can and just do my part. Do my job the best that I can do and everything else will fall in line after that."
Despite being 35 years of age, Durant knows that he still has a lot left in the tank while remaining one of the elite superstars in the NBA. Be that as it may, the two-time champion knows what it takes to finish a season strong with a captured title at the end of the road. For Kevin Durant, all he can do is prepare for the 82-game stretch. All that remains is ensuring the work doesn't go to waste.