Is Kevin Durant Injury Cause for Concern?

Kevin Durant reportedly has a mild calf strain at Team USA camp.

Apr 28, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) and Phoenix Suns forward Royce O'Neale (00) celebrate against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half of game four of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

PHOENIX -- Team USA basketball is well represented by the Phoenix Suns - as Devin Booker is suiting up for his second Olympic run while Kevin Durant is set to partake in his fourth.

A slight pause in plans for the NBA teammates suiting up together once again this summer has emerged, however, as Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Durant had missed the first two days of training camp ahead of an exhibition match vs Canada on Wednesday night.

Should this minor setback cause trepidation amongst the Suns' fanbase?

Both sides are valid to get behind.

On one side, the "calf strain" wording in specific could set off an alarm for certain people, as that is what originally lead to anAachilles tear in the 2019 NBA Finals.

Ultimately, that does feel like an isolated incident despite the concern it may raise.

Durant missed over half of his possible games as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, but has played in 91 of 98 games for Phoenix since he returned from a near catastrophic ankle sprain prior to his scheduled home debut for the franchise in March 2023.

While his injury history in 2014-15 and his overall tenure with the Nets could be deemed concerning, the Suns' training staff has clearly done a great job dealing with the majority of players on the roster (much of Beal's injury history in 23-24 could be considered bad luck).

It is quite likely that Durant will be held out of at least the first couple of exhibition matches to be cautious, but extra reps next to Booker can never hurt - and this next month could serve as a recruiting tool for prospective Suns' targets in the future.

Ultimately, Durant should be able to play in the actual Olympic pool play and lead the United States to yet another gold medal as a tune-up to attempting to bring a title to Phoenix in 2025.