PHOENIX — It's been nine weeks since the Phoenix Suns shook up the entire NBA landscape by trading for forward Kevin Durant.
The two-time NBA Finals MVP has only played eight games with his new team, but the Suns are unbeaten with KD in the lineup. As it turns out, establishing chemistry with one of the best ever to play the game is pretty simple.
“I mean, the easy answer is he's just a really good basketball player. He's one of the best ones I've ever been around and he’s smart, so they figure out ways to fit in on both ends of the floor,” Suns head coach Monty Williams said. “But if you look at Kevin’s history, everywhere he goes he does that. So, it’s nothing new for him.”
Durant and Williams have a longstanding relationship going back to their time together in Oklahoma City during the 2015-2016 season, when the Thunder made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals. Williams told reporters on Thursday that the key to success has been Durant’s willingness to understand and implement the Suns’ style of play without losing who he is as a player.
“I’m a true vet. I've been in league for 15 years playing but 16 years around the league, so, I’ve played with so many different players and under so many different coaches. I knew a few coaches here before I got here so I think that stuff adds and helps with speeding that transition up of just getting used to your teammates,” Durant said. “These guys have watched me play, played against me, scouted against me plenty of times so they kind of know my game and vice versa. I’ve scouted and played against these guys too, so, all that stuff matters. But I feel like once we get on the court, basketball is basketball at the end of the day. We’ve been playing this game since we were kids, so we’ll figure it out.”
According to RealGM, Durant has played with 152 teammates over the course of his NBA career. Working with new people seamlessly in new environments is something the three-time Olympic gold medalist has grown accustomed to. Suns guards Chris Paul and Devin Booker have familiarity with Durant after playing together and winning gold medals as members of the U.S. Men's Olympic Team Roster for the 2012 London games and the 2020 Tokyo games, respectively. While 26-year-old Booker will be enjoying his third NBA postseason since 2020, 34-year-old Durant has 155 playoff games under his belt dating back to 2010. Booker, who is still working toward his first NBA Championship, noted some of his favorite KD playoff moments during practice on Thursday.
“Finals MVP… You know, the shot that almost had us playing against each other just a couple years ago, toe on the line… There’s many. The OKC days… I can’t think of just one but that’s a two-time world champ,” Booker said. “I think that adds a little bit of pressure to everybody knowing that you have somebody that's been there and finished it and you know that's the expectation.”
Booker added that having Durant on his team for this postseason run is something he never expected and couldn’t have dreamt of. The Suns will face the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs and Phoenix’s roster features a pair of former Clippers in Paul and guard Landry Shamet. Shamet, who was limited to 40 regular season games due to injury, says Durant’s humility has made the transition for the team quite easy.
“The beauty in it is that he's just another layer to the program that we have here. It's not like it's learning a completely new way to play basketball with him,” Shamet said. “He's a humble guy who comes in and wants to play the right way. He wants to win. It's all he cares about.”
The Suns are still in the hunt for the franchise’s first NBA Championship. Phoenix hosts the Clippers at Footprint Center for Game 1 of their first-round series beginning on Sunday, April 16. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m.
Follow the conversation with Lina Washington on Twitter: @LWashingtonTV. If you have a sports story idea, e-mail Lina at LWashington@12News.com.
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