The KD Era Through the First Three Games

It’s truly not fair for the rest of the league to let KD and Devin Booker be on the same team. Suns fans had to patiently wait to see superstar Kevin Durant debut as a member of the Phoenix Suns. In that time, former Sun, Mikal Bridges wasted no time becoming a star in Brooklyn. This made some fans skeptical that the trade for Durant was even worth it. But here we are, the Phoenix Suns are 3-0 in the KD era.

The Durant Effect is undeniable

In his debut, Durant put up 23 points against the Charlotte Hornets. Each shot looked effortless. It was clear the Suns desperately needed a true scorer opposite of Devin Booker. His scoring abilities take the double teams off Booker and often leave him wide open. This was also the case against the Bulls, Durant finished the game with 20 points and Booker finished with 35. These are things the Suns should do against teams that aren’t in the top 10 of their conference standings.

The real test came Sunday against the Suns’ major rivals in the west, the Dallas Mavericks. There was a lot riding on this game. This was Durant’s first time facing his former teammate Kyrie Irving.

This was no ordinary game, this had playoff vibes. At first, Phoenix seemed overwhelmed by the Dallas bench going off from three. That did not matter late in the game. Not to be outdone by his former teammate, Kevin Durant put on a show. The final minutes of the game had fans on the edge of their seats. With 12 seconds to go and a tie game, Durant drained a clutch shot to put Phoenix up by two. Doncic was served a prime opportunity to tie the game but instead botched the shot. Durant came away with the rebound and a foul to call the game.

Luka vs Book 👀 pic.twitter.com/zDyZOQAs3u

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 5, 2023

The win against Dallas shows why you make blockbuster trades for superstars. It’s not fair to have a man of KD’s size and scoring abilities paired with another bonafide superstar in Devin Booker. If the Suns weren’t already, they are a real threat.

Through three games, Durant is shooting 69% from the floor. The scariest part of all? He’s been on a minutes restriction. You would never guess he’s coming off of an injury, he’s been playing lights out.

This is just a small sample size of what is to come but this Sun’s team is cooking.