With the sun setting on the careers of several NBA greats, there's been a lot of chatter about who the next face of the league will be. Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum believes he'll be up next if he can win Banner No. 18 for Beantown, and he isn't alone in that opinion.

Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant also shares Tatum's hopefulness, as he discussed the future of the 26-year-old ahead of their rematch on Thursday night, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

“I've been in this league a long time now and I know when it's a passing of the guard,” Durant said. “I know when the young dudes are going to come in and do the same thing the older guys are doing.”

Durant, who's now 35 and has nearly played in 1,000 regular season games, is likely one of those “older guys.” The 14-time All-Star can still compete at a high level, as he dropped a season-high 45 points against the C's on Saturday. However, his Suns fell short, losing 117-107 to the Celtics, and he could very well be in the last two to three years of his NBA career.

As for Tatum, Durant sees plenty of great things ahead.

“He's one of those guys I feel like is gonna control the league for the next 10-12 years and be a staple in our game and history of our game.”

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Versus Phoenix, Tatum recorded 29 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists in 42 minutes of play. He'll need a similar, if not better, performance on Thursday since the Celtics will again be without center Kristaps Porzingis due to issues with his right hamstring. Fellow 2024 All-Star Jaylen Brown is currently questionable as well.

At 51-14 overall, the Celtics are in first place in the Eastern Conference, while the 38-27 Suns sit at sixth in a tight Western Conference. Although this game won't immediately impact Boston's seeding, sweeping a talented Suns squad would make a strong statement ahead of the rapidly approaching postseason.