Kevin Durant’s first season with the Houston Rockets ended in the most disappointing way possible: sidelined by a knee injurythe two-time Finals MVP was forced to watch from the sidelines as his team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Adding to an already complicated season were off-court controversiesfueled by the alleged leak of messages from a group chat in which Durant reportedly mocked some of his teammates, including Alperen Sengun. In an interview with Socrates Magazinethe 23-year-old center himself put an end to any talk of alleged internal fractures:
A narrative was created out of nothing. I’ve never had an argument with KD, not even once. We’ve never raised our voices at each other. We always talk, especially after losses. We hate losing, and you can see it on our faces on the court: mine, KD’s and coach Ime Udoka’s
Alperen Sengun
The Turkish big man also emphasized how the speculation, which had already surfaced last February over suspicions surrounding Durant’s X accounthad deliberately sought from the outside to undermine the stability of the Rockets’ locker room:
When we were losing, everyone from the outside was trying to attack us and find any excuse to turn us against each other, even bringing the coach into it. There are a lot of people out there who want to see us fail
Alperen Sengun
With the fake news put to rest, Houston is looking ahead with plenty of optimism. With a fully healthy roster, Fred VanVleet’s return to full strength and the continued development of young talents such as Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard, Ime Udoka’s team is positioning itself to play a major role in the Western Conference. Thunder and Spurs permitting.