Kevin Durant’s offseason workout clip with Paolo Banchero drew attention for the usual reason: when a star of Durant’s caliber is seen in the gym, people notice. But the reaction wasn’t all praise.
The video, which circulated on Sunday, showed the Houston Rockets forward working out with the Orlando Magic’s 23-year-old power forward. For Orlando, that kind of mentorship from a 16-time All-Star would hardly be a bad thing. Former teammate and ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins, though, wanted to see Durant spending that time with the players he’ll actually share the floor with in Houston.
“I’ve been seeing a video that’s been circulating of KD working out with Paolo Banchero, and I appreciate the mentorship. But that mentorship needs to be going to the guys he’s actually going to be on the floor with this upcoming season.
I wanna see videos of KD in the lab with Jabari Smith. I wanna see videos of Sengun and Kevin Durant working out.”
Perkins pointed to the 2008 Boston Celtics, who took a trip to Rome before the regular season and are credited with building the kind of chemistry that carried over into winning basketball.
Durant’s first season in Houston was productive across the board. He led the Rockets in scoring at 26.0 points per game last season, helping them finish fifth in the Western Conference before they fell to the Lakers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
The next layer of Houston’s offense sits with Alperen Sengun, who averaged 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists over 72 games last season. The 23-year-old center, who has drawn Nikola Jokic comparisons, finished in the top 10 among centers in points, rebounds, and assists.
For Durant, the case for working with Sengun is obvious. The 37-year-old has plenty to gain from helping the Rockets’ young core keep growing, and Sengun could use the extra reps on pick-and-roll work and cleaner mechanics while training alongside the two-time NBA champion.
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka will likely keep training camp in its traditional format, which should give Durant time to pass along advice to younger teammates who want it. Beyond that, there’s not much reason to police how Durant or Sengun spend their offseason workouts.
After appearing in 78 games last season, Durant has already shown he’s committed to Houston’s success. A session with Banchero may not be the ideal look for Rockets fans, but at this point in the summer, it’s hardly a problem for Durant to be sharing the gym with other NBA stars.
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