Kevin Durant’s remarkable return sparks the Suns in a wide-open West

Kevin Durant returns from injury, Kevin Durant picks up where he left off and shows no signs of rust.

It’s a tale so old that you forget how remarkable it is that every time Durant steps back on the floor after an absence, he doesn’t look puffed up or confused or out of place.

Tuesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers was the latest example of his basketball dominance, continuing his torrid start to the season and helping the Phoenix Suns get back into the win column after a five-game losing streak.

Durant’s 23 points were light and even, efficient and non-disruptive to the offensive flow. He could have scored 30 without blinking, but the 27-point victory didn’t require it.

When he plays, the Suns are 9-1 this year and look to be the contender no one thought they would be this season. You can put Durant on any team in the league and they are instantly better without having to adjust the scheme or game plan – his basketball sense allows him to blend into any system without having to be the system without having to dominate the ball or attention.

And if his health holds up, the Suns could very well be the biggest party crackers in a crowded Western Conference this spring.

It’s early, and securing availability is no guarantee for any team in this NBA, especially for the Suns, who have two stars in their mid-30s in Durant and Bradley Beal. But they looked dominant against a formidable Lakers team that had their number last year.

They outscored the Lakers by 25 in the second half, and while considering the Lakers have had trouble competing on defense against good competition (Orlando, Denver) over the past week, these are the games the Suns should win to establish . hierarchy in the West.

Minnesota was a trendy pick to reach the Finals after its surprising run to the West Finals last year, bolstered by the Timberwolves’ sweep of Durant’s Suns in the first round, but they are under .500 after losing to Houston — and out of the Play- in at the moment.

Dallas, even before Luka Dončić’s wrist injury cost him time, struggled to find consistency. The Los Angeles Clippers, with no sign of Kawhi Leonard being anywhere near a practice court, sit in a top six spot. And the second and third places are occupied by Golden State and Houston – developments that no one would have predicted a month ago.

Oklahoma City, like last year, is at the top of the conference, but has yet to prove it with a long playoff run. The Thunder still have youth on their side, while teams like the Suns need near-perfect conditions to get through the treacherous West.

But let’s assume Durant stays healthy like he did last season, when he played 75 games and shed the entire injury-prone tag he’s carried since his Achilles injury during the 2019 NBA Finals.

Let’s assume that, at 36, he maintains the same level of performance and efficiency as the other two graybeards the collective public bestows deserved grace on, LeBron James and Stephen Curry.

Then there’s no reason to easily dismiss Durant or his team in the postseason. Who knows if this 10-game sample size is just a matter of fresh legs to start the season as opposed to the fatigue bound to set in, but it seems like a smart bet to think Durant will land close 55 percent shooting, 44 percent from 3-point range, 27 points, six rebounds and three assists.

That falls in line with Durant’s production of 28.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 53/41/89 splits, and those aren’t his career numbers — those are his post-Achilles numbers where he didn’t play again until after. his 31st birthday.

We’ve gotten so used to talking about other things with Durant — his supposed unhappiness, his habit of leaving franchises, his leadership, his health. The bottom line is that he’s been just as reliable a performer when he’s been on the field, no matter where he’s been.

The conversation surrounding Durant has veered between completely unfair and fair, but rarely is the focus on his play. Normally it is unassailable.

And these Suns aren’t a complete roster, they rely heavily on decision making and the dirty work of Jusuf Nurkić and Mason Plumlee as backups to get them through. Picking them to improve on a 49-win season last year doesn’t always inspire a lot of confidence.

But this feels like the most complete roster Durant has played on since leaving the Bay Area. The Brooklyn Nets team that looked like world-beaters in 2021 until Kyrie Irving and James Harden were injured in the second round against the Milwaukee Bucks, leaving Durant alone to carry an undermanned roster? They just wanted to overwhelm you with talent and explosiveness, and we saw what happened when they lost their fastball.

This Suns team isn’t as explosive, not close, but when Durant settles in, it takes the pressure off Devin Booker, who had to run the offense in Durant’s absence and saw his effectiveness drop with the added attention.

They’re both at their best when the ball is swinging to them, as opposed to staring down five sets of eyes on the defense, and having Mike Budenholzer as the head coach and Tyus Jones as the table-covering point guard takes a lot of weight off of them.

Durant is at his best when the game is simple because he makes the game look easily better than anyone in the league – still at his advanced age.

Budenholzer realizes by this point that Durant doesn’t need the most complicated actions, just enough moves where he can flow into a dribble and pull up, or catch and shoot. And Budenholzer has gotten all three scorers to buy into shooting more 3s to come to terms with today’s game. Last year, the Suns were 25th in attempts despite being fifth in efficiency. This year, even with Durant’s absence, they are tied for sixth in attempts and need to rise with their big three playing more together. Tuesday night was the Suns’ 99th regular-season game since the Beal trade was made to bring all three together, and the 49th time they’ve been on the floor at the same time.

Maybe it’s a fallacy to believe in the Suns, but in the absence of a Celtics-like team in the conference, you can believe that with a healthy Durant, they have as good a chance as anyone to make a deep playoff run.