Former NBA player Charlie Villanueva claimed that Kevin Durant strongly dislikes teaming with Alperen Sengun on the Houston Rockets. Both men made the All-Star team and are clearly the best players on the Rockets right now. Rumors have circulated about the two not getting along on the court after the alleged Durant burner account insulted Sengun.
Villanueva shared the following about the team dynamic, as transcribed by Fadeaway World:
“The real issue to me is, your two best players don’t get along. I don’t know what the relationship is, but it looks like they don’t f**k with each other. You can see whenever Sengun does some sh*t, KD’s making faces, body language ain’t good, and vice versa.
Whenever your two top stars are not on the same page, you’re gonna see results like this. At a time when you’re supposed to be coming together, I guarantee you that it’s pushing them more apart, games like this.”
Villanueva commented on the body language he sees from Durant whenever Sengun makes a mistake or goes for a risky play. The former player believes he sees the signs of two stars not getting on the same page and knows that usually spells the end of any chance for title contention.
Kevin Durant’s Burner Insulted Alperen Sengun
One of the main reasons for Villanueva’s comments holding relevance focuses on Durant’s alleged leaked burner Twitter account coming out during All-Star Weekend. The account made critical comments towards teammates Sengun and Jabari Smith in a group chat with NBA fans.
Durant allegedly said that Sengun can’t shoot nor defend effectively as a franchise player. Any team banking on a player with one or both of those issues will struggle, and Durant’s burner called that out when making critical comments to Rockets fans in the controversial group chat setting.
Sengun does have his flaws, but he’s emerged as an All-Star player who deserves the most credit for Houston’s rise. The evolution of the Rockets young core led to faster success thanks to Sengun thriving and taking big steps forward. Houston needs both Sengun and Durant firing on all cylinders in the loaded Western Conference.
Kevin Durant Drama Potentially Ruined Rockets Season
The overall point from Villanueva is that Houston looks like they have chemistry issues at the worst possible time. A hot early start for the Rockets had high hopes for home court in the first round and a chance to go deep in the playoffs.
Lackluster results have seen Houston falling behind teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves. The inconsistent play since the All-Star break sees a lot of criticism towards Durant and the timing of the burner account impacting the team dynamic.
Allegations of Durant keeping a distance from his teammates will not help the situation, and they’ll have to fix this issue before the playoffs. Durant seemingly doesn’t believe in Sengun, but both stars will need to rely on each other in series against dominant duos. Villanueva’s words may be proven correct if the Rockets have a quick elimination.