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Alperen Sengun #28 and Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets talk during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The recent drama of Kevin Durant’s alleged burner social media account is still a problem for the Houston Rockets, according to NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins. Durant spent a few years on the same Oklahoma City Thunder roster with Perkins, but they have had some harsh words about each over the past few years.
Perkins recently claimed that he sees the locker room issues for the Rockets playing out since the burner story leaked during All-Star Weekend:
“I see a disconnect in this organization. In my mind, I’m starting to think, I don’t see a lot of high fives, chest bumping, are they over the allegations of the burner account? The KD burner account. Are they over these allegations? Because since the All-Star break, when those allegations came out, this team hasn’t been clicking.
At the beginning of the season, without a point guard, for the first two months, they had one of the best offenses in the NBA. You can’t tell me what we’re looking at, this disconnect, Ime [Udoka] having to call motherf***ers out. They look like a team that’s not bought in all the way.”
Perkins backed up his point by referring to how great Houston looked earlier in the season and how inconsistent they’ve been lately. The timing of Durant’s burner story was called out by Perkins to wonder if that caused the problem.
Why Houston Deserves Criticism After All-Star Break
The 8-5 record of Houston after the All-Star break is not ideal since the Western Conference is so competitive. Durant’s controversial story led to questions about chemistry after he allegedly criticized teammates Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith for their respective flaws.
Blowout losses to the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets stood out since all three teams will hope to contend come playoff time. Houston must play their best basketball against the top teams to have a deep playoff run.
A brighter spotlight is shining on the Rockets due to the Durant story, and the losses are not helping. Perkins is making a point shared by others that Houston’s chemistry looks less impressive since they returned to the court after scandalous story from the All-Star break.
Is Kendrick Perkins Being Fair?
There is often skepticism about Perkins’ comments criticizing Durant and other names across the league. Durant mocking Perkins’ minimal on-court impact when they played together led to both men having more insults exchanged in recent years.
However, Perkins is just sharing a similar thought many feel about the Rockets lacking the chemistry that other teams showcase. Injured guard Fred VanVleet has not ruled out a return, and there is hope that another veteran presence could make up for their recent flaws.
Durant has been silent about the burner account since the story started and only revealed that he won’t comment on an off-court story. The controversy will likely follow Durant into the playoffs and resurface if they have an early elimination. Durant must lead the Rockets to playoff success or others will blame him, like Perkins is already doing.