Kevin Durant has copped his fair share of criticism for the amount of injuries he’s suffered in recent seasons, but he played in 75 games this season – the most since his 2018-19 season with Golden State.
Durant simply puts it down to other players putting him in danger less.
“No players flopped into my legs this year,” Durant told AZ Central. “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.”
He also says he’s made a conscious effort to stay out of the way of particular players.
“Just stay away from the crash dummies, you know,” he said. “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.”
Durant’s injury spiral started in the 2019 Finals when he suffered an Achilles tear, which saw him sit out the entire 2019-2020 season with the Nets.
In 2022, Durant’s own teammate Bruce Brown fell into his knee and he was out for six weeks.
Then in January of 2023, Jimmy Butler rolled into Durant’s leg which caused another knee injury and a sideline stint of two months.
Now, in his first full season in Phoenix, Durant finished the regular season on averages of 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and five assist per game on 52.3 percent shooting from the field. All in his 16th season in the league and at 35 years of age.
“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.”
READ MORE: “Real Doubt” Around Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Availability for Game 1