Kevin Durant addresses rustiness as he endured a rough first half in Suns home debut - "Sometimes you want it too bad"
Kevin Durant made his highly anticipated return from injury at home in Phoenix on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the Phoenix Suns superstar seemed a little rusty, to say the least. After a rather difficult first half, Durant addressed the struggles he faced early in the game during the postgame presser.
After a grueling 48 minutes of basketball action, the Phoenix Suns emerged victorious in their 107-100 bout against the Timberwolves. However, the highlight of the night was Kevin Durant's return from injury and his first win at home as a Suns player.
Although there were a lot of positive takeaways from the performance as a whole, Durant had a tough time getting going. After missing close to a month of basketball action, KD was evidently feeling things out in the first half.
Notching only three points on some lousy shooting, Durant appeared demoralized. However, some support from Monty Williams certainly helped him get going in the second half.
KD finished the game with 16 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. These are respectable numbers considering he was also on a minutes restriction.
Durant spoke about his experiences of getting back into the flow of things after the game. When asked how he felt about the 0-7 shooting start, he said:
"It's frustrating but I've been in this place before, had slow starts before. It's all about figuring out how to make it. Couple of those shots, though, I definitely was rushing, trying to get back at once."
Durant was then asked whether he was nervous about getting back on the floor. The superstar smiled and responded by saying:
"Yeah, I was just telling the guys in the locker room. It was hard for me to get sleep today. It was hard for me to stop thinking about the game. Sometimes you want it too bad. And then you come out and start playing, you start rushing and start taking uncharacteristic shots."
"Sometimes you want it too bad."
Kevin Durant as he talked about being excited going into game. #Suns https://t.co/K5GY2ushJY
Durant concluded by saying that he was glad to be back on the floor with the rest of the team. As for the Suns, they will definitely be fortunate to see their superstar back on the floor.
“Because I was 1-for-8.”
Kevin Durant on why he changed his shoes at halftime. https://t.co/EPEgXj12v2
Kevin Durant will need some time
The Phoenix Suns, at this stage of the season, are playoff bound. Additionally, they will also have Kevin Durant back in the rotation. On the face of things, everything seems to be falling into place to make the Suns' title aspirations a reality.
However, Durant will need time to get back into the flow of things. Given that he has been an inconsistent presence on the floor due to recurring injuries, the Suns will be best served by easing him back into action.
With six games left in the season, Phoenix has the opportunity to give Durant enough burn to warm up before the playoffs. Should KD manage to find his form by then, there are very few teams with the resources to stop the Suns.
Read: “I don’t feel as bullish about these Suns” –Despite advocating for Kevin Durant, Skip Bayless isn’t giving Phoenix the upper hand