The Phoenix Suns have looked an awful lot like contenders with Kevin Durant in the lineup, which isn’t a surprise considering he is one of the five best basketball players on the planet when healthy.
The health part has been an issue at times, though, and while Durant is fully back after his latest knee sprain, he suffered a new injury on Wednesday night while warming up on the floor before the Suns hosted the Thunder, as he rolled his left ankle while driving to the basket and fell to the ground.
Here’s video of Kevin Durant slipping on the floor pregame.
He stayed down for a few seconds but then got up and finished his on-court work. pic.twitter.com/DwTrNc6LIr
— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) March 9, 2023
You can see Durant’s ankle turn over on its side, and while he would get up and be able to walk off on his own, he was ruled out officially not long after due to “left ankle soreness.”
INJURY UPDATE: Kevin Durant is OUT with left ankle soreness.
Torrey Craig will be in the starting lineup. https://t.co/nXcrkTLkxe
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 9, 2023
The hope, of course, is that the injury isn’t anything more than soreness and he avoided a sprain that could cost him extended time. The Suns have gone 3-0 with Durant in the lineup, and while they’re still certainly competitive without him, their depth on the wing will be particularly thin in his absence. Torrey Craig will get the start against OKC, but after dealing away Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson to land Durant, the Suns are very much beholden to the health of their stars to be contenders in the West.
Source: https://uproxx.com/dimemag/kevin-durant-ankle-injury-warmups-suns-thunder/