Kevin Durant's Injury Could Force Suns' Star To Sit Until 2023 NBA Playoffs

The Phoenix Suns are worried about Kevin Durant's latest injury. There are concerns in the organization that Durant has a Grade 2 ankle sprain, which could keep him out at least until the start of the 2023 NBA playoffs, according to The Arizona Republic's Greg Moore.

Durant suffered the injury while attempting a layup during pregame warmups Wednesday night. The Suns beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 132-101 without Durant.

The two-time NBA Finals MVP left the arena in a walking boot. The Suns won't know the severity of Durant's injury until he has an MRI Thursday.

Phoenix plays its final regular-season game in four weeks and three days. The playoffs start in a little over five weeks. The recovery time for a Grade 2 ankle sprain is typically somewhere between four and six weeks.

Injuries have plagued Durant's career since he tore his Achilles during the 2019 NBA Finals. In the last four seasons, Durant has missed 158 of his team's games and played in just 132 contests.

Durant made his Suns debut on March 1, three weeks after he was traded from the Brooklyn Nets. Durant suffered a sprained MCL on Jan. 9. The knee injury kept him out of action for seven weeks.

In three games with the Suns. Durant has been everything that Phoenix hoped for when it made the blockbuster trade. Durant is averaging 26.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 blocks per game.

Durant has shot an incredibly efficient 69% from the field on just 14.0 field-goal attempts per game. The Suns are 3-0 with Durant in the lineup. When he's healthy, Durant might be the NBA's best player.

Pheonix is the current No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. The Sun are two games behind the Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies, which are battling for the No. 2 seed. The Golden State Warriors are the No. 5 seed and three games behind Phoenix.

The Suns play the Kings and Warriors in their next two games.

If the standings hold, Phoenix and Golden State will face off in a first-round playoff series. There's a chance that Durant won't be 100% healthy against the defending champions.