Is Kevin Durant playing tonight against the Orlando Magic? Latest on All-Star forward's availability (Dec. 31)

The Phoenix Suns face the Orlando Magic on Sunday, December 31. Kevin Durant is not dealing with any injuries and as such, will play for the Suns during the game. Durant has been shouldering a heavy workload for Phoenix this season, as he helped keep his team afloat while they waited for Bradley Beal to recover from injury.

However, Phoenix will be without Damion Lee and Nassir Little as both continue to recover from injury. Josh Okogie is listed as probable and will likely feature for the Suns in some capacity.

Durant is averaging 29.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game, shooting 52.4% and 48% from 3-point range. In his 27 games for the Suns, he is operating at an MVP level and proving that he's still at the top of his game despite being 35 years old.

Furthermore, Durant has also been playing some fantastic defense. He's showcasing his versatility and hip dexterity by switching onto multiple positions while using his height and wingspan to provide secondary rim protection as a help defender who rotates over to protect the paint.

While the Suns have been struggling over the opening months of the season, Durant has been piecing together one of the strongest starts of his career.

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The Phoenix Suns can finally start experimenting with their big three

Since acquiring Bradley Beal in the summer, the Phoenix Suns have had to remain patient. Beal has dealt with a number of injury issues to start the season, leaving the Suns thin on the offensive end and ensuring their big three's chances of developing some chemistry were put on hold.

However, with Beal now back in the rotation and both Kevin Durant and Devin Booker healthy, the Suns will finally get an opportunity to see how their three-star players fit together on the court.

It's not going to be pretty at first. All three stars will need to make sacrifices to get the best out of each other. Still, the Suns were designed to thrive on the offensive upside their trio provides and make use of the incredible spacing their scoring gravity will generate.

We will likely see Durant continue as the primary scorer, with Booker and Beal operating as playmakers who assume secondary and tertiary scoring roles. It's logical to assume that Beal and Booker will swap roles depending on matchups and how defenses are looking to contain their threats.

Still, it will be interesting to see how things play out in the coming weeks and months.