Kevin Durant's return to Phoenix Suns makes them NBA title contenders. Here's why.

When new Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia went all in and acquired Kevin Durant in a seismic trade with the Brooklyn Nets at the February trade deadline, the Suns elevated to title contender, even though they were sixth place in the Western Conference.

That’s how much Durant, a 13-time All-Star and one of the game’s all-time best scorers, means to a team.

Durant recovered from an injury while with Brooklyn and made his Suns debut on March 1. However, during pregame warmups on March 8, Durant twisted his ankle, sidelining him for another 10 games.

Durant returned to the Suns lineup on Wednesday, scoring 16 points with eight rebounds and four assists.

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Now in fourth place, the Suns are the betting favorite to win the West.

Let’s take a look at what Durant’s return means to the Suns:

Kevin Durant remains a force

At 34, Durant is still a lethal scorer. Though he has played in just 43 games this season, he is averaging 29.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, while shooting 55.9% from the field, 38.8% on 3-pointers and 92.9% on free throws. Durant is a point-getter extraordinaire.

He can score driving to the rim, pulling up in the mid-range and knocking down 3s.

Durant, a two-time champion, two-time Finals MVP and 2013-14 season MVP, is No. 13 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list (26,780 career points) and will move into the top-10 next season with a strong chance of reaching 30,000 career points and finishing in the top-five all-time.

Offense, everywhere

Besides Durant, the Suns have Devin Booker (28 points, 5.4 assists per game), Deandre Ayton (18.1 points per game) and Chris Paul (13.7 points, 9.1 assists per game). That’s a ton of offense and a serious problem for opposing defenses.

Paul is a top-notch playmaker, and with two gifted scorers in Durant and Booker, defenses will be exposed one way or another – either one-on-one or if a team tries to double-team Durant and Booker, both of whom can find open teammates and pass out of the double-team.

It’s a small sample – just four games – but the early returns are promising. With Durant, Booker, Paul and Ayton on the court in 64 minutes, the Suns have scored 125.3 points and allowed 99.4 points per 100 possessions.

It will be difficult to stop that.

Issues with depth and defense?

In the trade, the Suns gave up depth and defense, sending Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four future first-round picks and a pick swap to the Nets. Bridges and Johnson were key players for the 2021 NBA finalists, quality defenders and double-digit scorers. That’s a lot to lose.

While the Suns will put up points, there comes a time when defensive stops are required to win a playoff game.

That puts pressure on the starters defensively (Josh Okogie is the fifth starter now) and reserves T.J. Warren, Torrey Craig, Cameron Payne, Terrence Ross and Bismack Biyombo.

Suns coach Monty Williams’ rotations will be scrutinized as he tries to keep a proper mix of players on the court when his stars need a rest.

Playoff outlook

The Suns are not locked into the fourth seed. At 41-35, they are a ½ game ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers, 1½ games ahead of the Golden State Warriors and 2 ½ games ahead of Minnesota.

Phoenix wants the fourth seed in order to have home-court advantage for at least one round. There is some jockeying to avoid the fifth seed and a matchup against the Suns in the first round. The sixth seed would play third-place Sacramento.

If the Suns advance to the conference semifinals, it’s likely they would face the first-place Denver Nuggets, and it’s also possible the Suns would be the betting favorite to win that series.

Phoenix's remaining schedule, the ninth-hardest, according to tankathon.com, includes five games against playoff-bound teams or teams in postseason contention: vs. Denver; at Oklahoma City; vs. San Antonio; vs. Denver; at Los Angeles Lakers; vs. Los Angeles Clippers.

Health, including Paul's durability and Durant's availability, will play a significant role in the Suns' playoff success.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kevin Durant back with Suns. Here's what it means for NBA title hopes