As a member of the Houston Rockets, Kevin Durant is optimistic about the future. But before he can start his new chapter, answers must be found on what went wrong in his previous stop. In a long chat exchange with a Phoenix Suns fan, Durant came up with his explanation as he defended himself (and former head coach Mike Budenholzer) from blame.
It all started when the fan called out Durant for taking away Devin Booker’s “competitive fire.”
Kevin Durant: “So you’re saying I only take away his fire?
Fan: “Not necessarily take it away, but your demeanor is a calm one, and body language isn’t always the best, which I think has rubbed off on Book a little bit, but I get why it would be. You’ve been here for three years, and nothing has gone as expected.”
Kevin Durant: “So when Book plays good, do I rub off on him only when he plays bad?”
Fan: “I think it’s a little bit of both…”
The Suns were a disaster last season and couldn’t even make the play-in despite having three All-Star caliber players and one of the highest payrolls in the NBA. So when they struggled to even hold the 10th seed, morale hit an all-time low. According to the fan in this encounter, Durant’s leadership and body language are what sealed their fate and eliminated any hope of a redemption arc.
Fan: “Just watch the game against the Raptors, the body language is horrible, and when players see one of the best players of all-time acting like that, it’s gonna rub off.”
Kevin Durant: “My body language is why we lost? You don’t know these players, you don’t know how they feel,” said Durant. “You are assuming and trying to use me as a scapegoat because you don’t know why are are losing.”
The Suns were an utter failure, and while fans and experts try to find someone to blame, Durant believes it was other circumstances that caused their downfall.
Fan: “It’s pretty obvious why y’all are losing right now, and it’s the coach.”
Kevin Durant: “It’s easy to always look at me, I’m that big of a star. I get it, but if you don’t know the game, just ask me. You don’t know basketball well enough to know why a team loses, so you look to blame anyone you can.”
We don’t know when exactly this exchange took place, but it was obviously during the season, before Durant’s trade out of Phoenix, and when frustration levels were sky-high. Clearly, the fan was disappointed with the lack of results, and he didn’t know what else to say when Durant claimed he knew nothing about the game.
Fan: “Okay, so if I don’t know basketball and can’t say why a team is losing, inform me. I’d love to know why a team with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and a good supporting cast is three games under .500 since I don’t know ball.”
Kevin Durant: “You know what, my body language is the reason, you’re right. My bad for questioning a fan. I should be above this, seriously. I don’t want any problems, bro, I should’ve left it alone. I don’t wanna ruin your experience, so believe what you want, brother. Enjoy the game tonight and the rest of the season.”
Kevin Durant has no issue taking the fight to his critics, but he usually doesn’t resort to arguing in someone’s DMs like that. In this case, it seems he couldn’t help but speak up after he saw a Suns fan looking for someone to scapegoat for the failed season.
In Durant’s eyes, the reason for their struggles was not tied to one individual. A mix of different variables came together to create the perfect storm of chaos and dysfunction. Now that it’s all said and done, he can think more about this time in Phoenix, but with the way things ended there, he may want to forget that chapter of his career entirely.
