Kevin Durant is expected to be re-evaluated in two weeks after suffering a sprained ankle on Wednesday, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. Durant, who has played just three games for the Phoenix Suns thus far, was a late scratch for Wednesday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after suffering the injury during a pregame workout.
The Arizona Republic reported that there was fear within the Suns organization that the superstar forward could be sidelined for the remainder of the regular season and the start of the playoffs with a Grade 2 ankle sprain, but according to Charania's initial two-week timeline, the current prognosis appears to be a bit more optimistic.
Video of the injury shows Durant warming up before Phoenix's game against the Thunder, in which he slips on the floor and tweaks his left ankle while going toward the basket for a layup.
Here’s video of Kevin Durant slipping on the floor pregame.
— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) March 9, 2023
He stayed down for a few seconds but then got up and finished his on-court work. pic.twitter.com/DwTrNc6LIr
After remaining on the ground for a few moments following the fall, Durant was able to finish his workout. However, Phoenix ultimately decided to hold him out of the game -- a 31-point win over the Thunder.
"I feel bad for him because he feels bad," Suns coach Monty Williams told reporters. "I saw his face and -- I've been around him so many times -- I know what he's feeling, and I don't want him feeling that way at all."
A knee (MCL) injury earlier this season forced Durant to miss 20 games, including several that came after he was traded to the Suns.
In the three games Durant has played in Phoenix, he has been stellar. The Suns have not lost with Durant in the lineup, and he is averaging almost 27 points per game on 69 percent shooting. The Suns traded an enormous package to land him in the hopes that he can take a team that lost in the 2021 Finals over the hump.
Health is one of the major concerns about his ability to do so. A two- or three-week absence is relatively short in the grand scheme of things, but those are games Phoenix really would have liked to have used to help integrate Durant into their team structure. Now they'll have to do so on the fly with a version of Durant that will be coming off of an ankle injury.
