Quick analysis of Kevin Durant’s first two games with the Suns

Kevin Durant is two games in to his Phoenix Suns career, and there have been plenty of positives to take away from it.

For one, Durant has proven he is still one of the best – if not the best – players in the NBA. He scored 23 points in his Phoenix opener against the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday and had 20 against the Chicago Bulls Friday night. He has not needed to score in his entire potential since Devin Booker has had incredible games. Even then, Durant has been outstanding by shooting a combined 17-of-25 from the floor in his two games as a Sun.

Still, Durant is focused on his improvement.

“I felt I should’ve made every shot, too,” he said after the team’s 125-104 win over the Bulls Friday night.

The Suns are expected to be the favorites in the Western Conference, according to multiple betting sites. Phoenix has to be dominant over its last 18 games of the season to at least secure the No. 3 seed, assuming the Sacramento Kings slip from the spot and the Suns can claw their way up in the standings.

Phoenix has to be especially grateful for its pairing of Durant with Booker. My favorite moment of the week came when Durant made his first 3-pointer with the Suns and Booker simply held up three fingers and walked toward the other end of the court. It’s like two varsity players having fun over the freshmen in a Friday afternoon practice.

All jokes aside, the Suns have a chance to be scary by the time the regular season ends. Phoenix has two of its best players – and maybe even its third if you count Chris Paul – in franchise history in its starting lineup. I can’t remember even Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire reaching the magnitude of dominance this duo could reach.

There’s a lot of time left in the regular season – these next 18 games are going to be VERY important to determine how the Suns will look in playoff time – so expect tweaks to be made on either side of the ball for them. Booker said he expects either Durant or him to be on the floor at all times, which will be needed for the Suns to maintain efficiency for what seems like a weaker bench.

Sorry, I’m not here to knock Jock Landale, Big Bizzness or anybody else. It’s just the way it is.

The Suns are on the doorstep of one of the most historic moments in franchise history. Championship expectations are going to be at their highest under the team’s last three seasons under coach Monty Williams and I can’t wait to see how it’s all going to shake out.

What do you think, Suns fans? Where can Devin Booker and Kevin Durant find their footing more? And what schematic changes do or expectations need to be placed on improvements for the team?