'Stay away from the crash dummies': Kevin Durant on staying healthy, avoiding 'floppers'
MINNEAPOLIS – Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant has heard much about being injury-prone in the latter stages of his career.
That narrative wasn’t a major part of his storyline this season.
Durant played more games this season than he has since he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the 2019 NBA Finals, which forced him to miss the entire 2019-20 season in his first year with the Brooklyn Nets. The 35-year-old forward played 75 games, the most since logging 78 in the 2018-19 season with the Golden State Warriors.
“No players flopped into my legs this year,” Durant said. “Last two years, I had my teammate flop into me and an opponent flop into me two straight years that caused me to get MCL injuries. If it wasn’t for that, I probably would’ve been out there the same amount of games, but I’m glad nobody flopped into me. Had a couple of nagging injuries, but it was day-to-day type of stuff. I’m grateful for that.”
When asked if he could avoid those types of situations, Durant replied, “Just stay away from the crash dummies, you know. The dudes who try to sell calls and don’t mind hurting people by diving on the floor trying to sell a call. I know who those guys are, and I try to stay away from them.”
The sixth-seeded Suns (49-33) begin postseason play Saturday at third-seeded Minnesota (56-26) with a healthy Durant, who averaged 27 points in his first full season with the team.
“I feel solid,” Durant said. “Solid as it’s going to feel at Game 75. I’m grateful I got the opportunity to keep playing throughout the season and not have too many bad injuries or long rehabs. Hopefully, it continues.”
Heat forward Jimmy Butler rolled into Durant’s legs last season, resulting in a right knee injury on Jan. 8, 2023, that sidelined him for nearly two months. Durant was still with Brooklyn when that injury occurred. He returned on March 1, 2023, at Charlotte in what was his Suns debut.
The season before that, Nets teammate Bruce Brown fell back into Durant’s left knee after trying to slow down Pelicans forward Herbert Jones in transition on Jan. 15, 2022, in Brooklyn. Durant didn’t come back from that knee sprain until March 3.
“Sometimes you can’t control people flopping into your legs,” Durant said. “I just try to handle every situation to the best of my abilities, but also have a free mind when I’m out there playing, too. So I don’t want to think about injuries, either.
Durant acknowledged the Suns training staff doing their part to keep him healthy. He played 32 games in the 2020-21 season, 55 in the 2021-22 season and 47 in the 2022-23 season that started with the Nets and ended with the Suns.
Saying he stuck to his usual offseason workouts before the 2023-24 season, Durant said he “got his body right, got his game right” in preparation for this season. He never missed more than three games this season with an injury – right hamstring soreness/strain (3), left ankle sprain (2) and right foot soreness (2).
“Like I said, staying clear of way of the floppers this year,” Durant said.
Phoenix acquired Durant in a blockbuster deal right before last season’s trade deadline. He played just eight games in the regular season with the Suns and missed 10 after injuring his ankle when he slipped on the court during pregame warmups on March 8, 2023, at Footprint Center.
The NBA and NBPA agreed to a 65-game rule to be eligible for major postseason awards – MVP, All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense, or Most Improved Player – as part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that runs through the 2029-30 season.
Durant hadn’t played more than 55 games each of the last three regular seasons before reaching 75 this season.
“That’s big-time,” Suns 7-footer Jusuf Nurkic said. “I feel like the athletes are extending the years of their career for at least five, 10 years. It used to be 32, 33 years old, they’re old. Now you looking at a number 40 and they can still play at the highest level.”
Lakers superstar LeBron James will turn 40 during next season in late December.
“The main thing is just being available,” continued the 29-year-old Nurkic. “I feel like with Kevin, it was a huge deal for us as a team to have him and build that chemistry, especially for me having never played with most of the people here. I played against them, not with them. I think it’s really good for the team chemistry.”
Along with Durant, Nurkic has been relatively healthy this season. Playing 76 games, Nurkic averaged a double-double of 10.9 points and 11 rebounds in his first season with the Suns. Phoenix acquired him from Portland in a three-team deal before training camp that sent Damian Lillard to Milwaukee and Deandre Ayton to the Blazers.
Prior to that, Nurkic played 37 games in the 2020-21 season, 56 in the 2021-22 season and 52 last season for Portland. The 7-footer only played in eight games in the 2019-20 season after suffering compound fractures to his left tibia and fibula near the end of the 2018-19 season.
“You can’t talk basketball with everyone, especially online, live, but it feels great just to be able to play that many games and be available,” said Nurkic, who has been battling a right ankle sprain of late.
“It feels great to have a postseason as an individual, as a team. I wish everybody was available as me or some people who play the whole season, but sometimes, that’s not the case," Nurkic said. "We live with the results. We’re in this position for a reason and we’ll see what happens.”
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Durant avoids 'floppers,' having healthiest season in years
