KD Accidentally Throws a Stray at Houston Rockets’ Teammate

The Houston Rockets are on top of the world right now, having their best start to a season in over a decade. They’re leading the Western Conference and tied with the Philadelphia 76ers for the best record in the league. This team has already overcome multiple obstacles that held them back all of last season, and we haven’t even made it through 10 games yet. 

All of that is great, but unfortunately trouble could be brewing. Despite Houston’s hot start, Kevin Durant found a way to spark up a bit of drama. 

After a very solid win over the Celtics on Monday, the veteran forward was tasked with his usual postgame media responsibilities. It was all going well, until one question in particular seemed to really irk Durant. 

Varun Shankar from the Houston Chronicle started to ask about Durant only taking six shots in the game, before getting abruptly cut off. Without even hearing the full question KD snapped back, saying, “why does that matter to you?” 

A fair philosophical question, sure. Why does anything matter to anyone? But I don’t think it was fair to snap back without even hearing, or willing to hear the full context. You can see Durant get defensive and cut the questioning off multiple times: 

While they finally did get around to having a more civil back-and-forth by the end, it seems like a whole lot of unnecessary animosity. 

Why not just listen to the questioning from the get-go? Durant was able to explain that his, “presence on the court opens it up for everybody,” meaning he doesn’t have to take shots in order to impact the game. 

So why feel the need to get defensive right away, rather than just letting the reporter speak?  

Why feel the need to randomly throw Jabari Smith Jr. under the bus for scoring 30 points one night, then 14 points the next? Why not take the same veiled shots at Amen Thompson for only scoring eight points on Halloween? 

In reality, I think Durant probably just picked the first player and stats that came to mind, rather than actually criticizing Smith Jr, but who knows? He did have those numbers easily accessible in his brain. 

I just don’t see the benefit in taking that route and throwing strays along the way. It seems easier to simply listen to the question and give the same answer he ended up giving in the end.

At the end of the day, who am I to judge? I’ve been in a bad mood and snapped at people before too. I don’t think this minor incident actually did any damage.

Thankfully there’s just nothing involving a burner account this time around, so we can all move on and get ready for the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight. 

More from RocketsRoundtable:  

The Rockets Have Already Overcome Multiple Obstacles From Last Season

Why the Houston Rockets Will Dominate in the Month of November

Houston’s Stars of the Future Are Being Disrespected Around the NBA

Bogdan Bogdanović Could Steal Reed Sheppard’s Minutes in Houston