When will Kevin Durant play? What to know about the All-Star's expected Phoenix Suns debut

Excitement continues to build among Phoenix Suns' fans as superstar Kevin Durant inches closer to suiting up with the team.

Durant has been in Phoenix this week working out with the team as he recovers from a sprained knee suffered last month while still with Brooklyn.

He was seen putting up shots and driving to the basket while working out at the team training facility earlier this week.

In addition, more than 17,000 fans saw him at Footprint Center Tuesday night, as he sat with his team on the bench watching the Suns defeat the Kings, 120-109. Though he didn’t dress for the game, he did acknowledge the fans.

Here’s what you need to know about where things stand with Durant and the Suns, with links to our recent coverage:

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When will Kevin Durant play?

Initially, all signs pointed toward a return to the court after last weekend’s All-Star break, with Friday's game at Footprint Center against Oklahoma City the expected debut. But on Wednesday, reports surfaced that the Suns would be holding off until next week, possibly March 1 at Charlotte, to make sure Durant is fully ready. He has been recovering from a sprained knee sustained early last month while he was with Brooklyn.

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When does KD return after NBA All-Star Weekend?

If Durant returns as expected, his first game as a Sun would be Feb. 24 at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder, one of his former teams.

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Are we going to ever hear from Kevin Durant?

Yes! The Suns have scheduled a press conference with Durant, new owner Mat Ishbia and GM James Jones, for 2 p.m. Thursday at Footprint Arena.

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What makes Kevin Durant such a big deal for the Phoenix Suns?

Quite a bit, but if you want to impress your friends start by noting he was named one of the 75-greatest players of all time last year by the NBA as part of the league’s 75^th Anniversary. He won two NBA Finals MVP awards with the Golden State Warriors, in 2017 and '18 (he helped lead them to a third finals the following year, which the Warriors lost). He also led the Thunder to the finals in 2012. He’s averaged 27 points a game over a career that began in the 2007-08 season, and this season he was averaging nearly 30 points a game before he was injured, along with more than six rebounds and five assists per game.

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What jersey number will Kevin Durant wear in Phoenix?

Great question. In college and for most of his NBA career, Durant wore No. 35, which honored his former AAU coach. But when he went  to Brooklyn, he switched to No. 7, which he explained represented ‘’completion’’ in the Bible and a fresh start for him. But in Phoenix, Durant is expected to return to 35 (tweets on the team’s account have hinted as much, and he’s listed that way on the team roster on the NBA web site). No. 7 is among nine jersey numbers that have been retired by the Suns, in honor of Kevin Johnson, who wore it as the team’s star point guard during the 1990s when he helped lead Phoenix to the ’93 NBA finals alongside Charles Barkley.

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One more thing to know as KD joins the Suns

Durant is joining a Suns' team that has been holding its own through a season filled with injuries. They currently are No. 4 in the Western Conference standings with a 32-27 record, 8.5 games behind No. 1 Denver. Durant would be joining the team with 22 games to go in the regular season.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What to know about Kevin Durant's Phoenix Suns debut: When he'll play