3 things the Suns can do to keep Kevin Durant healthy next season
By Luke Duffy
1. No time spent at center
Durant is going to start and finish games next to center Deandre Ayton, and that is great news for his body. Ayton being a decade younger than his teammate, and more than capable of holding his own in the paint if he wants to.
Where there could be a problem though, is if new head coach Frank Vogel wants to mix things up and have Durant spend some time at the five. With the addition of Drew Eubanks this offseason, that is not going to happen too often. Certainly not during the regular season, although those hoping for Bol Bol to help in this regard will be wide of the mark.
But any time Durant is spending as the tallest player on the court is not good for him. This will mean he is expected to grab some boards and mix it up with physical players in the paint, or else watch as the Suns get hammered inside. Durant has never been a fantastic rebounder for his size (7.1 per game for his career), but given his offensive talent and how he played, that was no issue.
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It would also mean trying to get to the rim to draw fouls, which is important for Durant to do in order to open up the court for his teammates. But it is not something the Suns will want him to do terribly often, as it increases his chances of getting injured.
Last year with the Suns, Durant got to the free-throw line six times per contest. During his heyday with the Oklahoma City Thunder, it was a ridiculous 10.2 times. Durant is an incredible free-throw shooter (career 88.6 percent), and these points will still be welcomed by the team. But having him as the de facto center in the regular season is a terrible idea when trying to preserve his body.