After their blowout victory over the Charlotte Hornets, the Phoenix Suns certainly looked the part of a championship contender behind Kevin Durant and Devin Booker‘s 60 combined points.

Durant, in a mercenary role akin to the one he had with the Golden State Warriors, shot 10-5 from the field and had a plus-minus of +13 — tops among the Suns' starters — in his team debut. Fresh off an injury, it seemed like KD had hardly missed a beat while he was gone.

With even the NBA's brightest stars reacting to dominance of the new-look Suns, it's obvious that Phoenix made the right decision by trading for Durant. Nonetheless, the fact that they even had a chance was most likely due to the fact that Durant had long expressed a desire to play in Phoenix and team up with Booker.

Booker, 26-years-old and in his 8th NBA season, has long been considered one of the best offensive talents in the game. Seeing how game recognizes game, it's no wonder that Durant was impressed by Booker even back to his college days, as he tells co-host Eddie Gonzales on The ETCs with Kevin Durant podcast.

“I just like his work ethic,” Durant says. “I remember seeing him college, I loved his form on his jump shot at a young age [and] can tell he's been working on his game. And so, just following him over the years, seeing how quickly he developed. His IQ for the game, he understands the game.”

In what may have been a shot at Brooklyn Nets playmaker Ben Simmons, KD continues, says “I like guys that can score from all areas of the floor, you know. Being around somebody that works like that and cares about the game like that is only going to help me…”