Kevin Durant is preparing for Year 17 in the NBA and is entering his first full season with the Phoenix Suns. Durant joined the Suns in February and went as far as the Western Conference semi-finals last year. This season, he aims at nothing but a trip to the NBA Finals and the championship.

Kevin Durant remains one of the best players in the league and the same goes for fantasy basketball. With the season tipping off in less than two weeks, the Suns’ superstar will be a top option for fantasy players.

Based on CBS Sports stats, Kevin Durant averaged 44.6 fantasy points per game last season, which means a total of 2,094 points. He appeared in just 47 games in the 2022-23 season, which explains why his numbers dropped compared to the 2021-22 season, where he averaged 48.4 fantasy points per game for a total of 2,661.

Splitting the year between the Brooklyn Nets and the Suns, he posted averages of 29.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 5.0 apg, while shooting 40.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Given how crucial his presence will be for Phoenix’s success this year, we expect identical numbers for the 2023-24 season, as the Suns paired him with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal to create their Big Three.

Kevin Durant NBA fantasy projections for 2023-24 season

Kevin Durant, Devin Booker – Game 6 Suns vs Nuggets

The key for Kevin Durant this season is to stay healthy. Since 2019, when he joined the Nets, he has played 50 or more games only once (2021-22 season, 55 games). If healthy, he should be on the way for 65 or more games.

With that in mind, we used CBS Sports stats for fantasy expectations regarding Kevin Durant heading into the new season.

That said, the projection for the two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP is to appear in 76 games and average 43.7 fantasy points for a total of 3,336 points. This will be significantly higher than his 2022 total points.

His best fantasy season was back in 2013, when he played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and averaged 48.9 fantasy points for a total of 3,958. During that season, Durant played 81 games and had a career-high average of 32.0 ppg to go with 7.4 rpg and 5.5 apg, leading the Thunder to the Western Conference Finals (where they lost to eventual champions the San Antonio Spurs).

As we said, the Suns have gone all in for the championship with the addition of Bradley Beal. Anything other than the title or at least a Finals appearance will be a major upset for the Suns, who want to have another shot at the title after 2021.

Durant and the Suns will kick off the regular season with a road game vs. fellow title contender Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, October 24.