Today, Durant is categorized as uncertain, but we’ve seen these types of days before. Let us hope that today is a nice type of day.

All the debate heading into the 2023-24 season was about how the Phoenix Suns’ high-flying combination of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker could ever remain on the floor together given their injury history.

So far, the doubters may smugly look back and claim, “told you so.” We are 16 regular season games into the season and have yet to see all three on the floor and may not for some time.

Is it possible that it will happen soon? Possible. Could it never happen this season? It is also possible.

I’m not here to bring you down. Just stating the facts.

Bradley Beal has a strange fracture in his back that might bring him back in December after some severe rest, or it could simply lead us to the point where an MRI/CT/whatever is required to indicate he requires anything more intrusive.

Devin Booker has already missed a few games due to soft tissue concerns around his legs, and we know that Booker has a history of these difficulties keeping him in and out of games. He missed the most games in his career last year, and we’re hopeful he can avoid that this year.

So far, who has been the Ironman? You guessed correctly. Kevin Durant is Kevin Durant. Until now, that is.

Late Thursday, the 35-year-old, who has been fourth in the league in minutes played and second in scoring to aid the Suns to a 10-6 start, was listed as OUT for Friday’s game against Memphis due to right foot pain.

Durant has experienced a series of lower leg ailments since 2015, some of which have proved disastrous to his current season and his team’s championship prospects.

Fortunately, there seems to be a large silver lining this time.

The fracture diagnosis was apparent when he suffered the Lisfranc/Jones fracture that lost him most of the 2015 season, and the options were plain — attempt to wait out the natural healing process or undergo surgery. He tried both before settling on the latter.

Doctors explain that when a Jones fracture occurs for the first time, the prognosis is typically constant. Reinjuring the foot is rare as long as it heals. Durant just needed to wait it out and he’d be OK.

He only appeared in 27 games that year, many of them in brief appearances, but he returned with a fury the next year. Over the summer, he endured more surgery and played 72 games, winning multiple regular-season honors and helping the Thunder (playoff leader in minutes played and scoring) to a 3-1 lead over the feared Warriors in the WCF.

Durant has not had any more particular foot injuries since 2016, yet the list of lower leg ailments is lengthy: ankles, achilles, calves, and knees.

KD would sit here and tell you that this isn’t a huge problem.

In fact, he took part in at least part of Saturday’s practice in preparation for today’s Suns-Knicks afternoon game.

Durant played down the injury after participating in at least portion of Saturday’s morning practice ahead of the Suns-Knicks game on Sunday, according to the incomparable Duane Rankin.

Duane Rankin of AZCentral.com, the hardest working guy on the Suns beat, did a great job of asking the correct questions to obtain the genuine answers.

Please, not too soon!

And he’s right to be reserved. If there is a concern, it is that Durant and Booker, in particular, are very effective at persuading the training and coaching staffs that they are ready to return sooner than they should have been. And all too frequently, this leads to even more issues.

Some of them have exacerbated the situation by returning to the court a bit early and leaving again. They are too competitive to sit back and watch the game, so they get themselves out there and toss time limits to the wind.

The Suns’ current conditioning and coaching team is working hard to eliminate daily choice, but they are not flawless.

Last year, they allowed Booker to be day-to-day on that strained going until mid-December, then cleared him for Christmas only to have him make it worse inside the first four minutes and be kept down for two more months. This most likely lost the Suns the 1-2 seed in the Western Conference playoff picture, forcing them to face Denver in Round 2 rather than the Conference Finals.

This year, they attempted to keep Bradley Beal day to day throughout preseason, only to have him lock up every second half, till they ultimately termed it ‘3 weeks’ before he picks up a ball, much alone plays again.

And, once again, they allowed Book to return from the ankle injury on a minutes limit, which would have been OK only he/they disregarded it in the fourth quarter, resulting in a strained calf that forced him to miss a few more games to get that one right.

Durant is now labeled as a day-to-day player. And he wants to play every chance he gets.

Durant has carried the Suns all season while Book and Beal have been sidelined. He just wants to play basketball. Regardless of injury history, all the time.

“Something bad is going to happen, something bad is going to happen.” I honestly don’t know what good it does to attempt to keep me from being hurt or being out there. Allow me to play.”After defeating the Jazz in double overtime last week, ending with Lauri Markkanen being blocked at the three-point line to preserve the 140-137 final score. Durant, 35, has played 46 of 58 potential minutes.”I could have gone 55 (minutes),” he joked after the game.