When your team is winning, having fun and making jokes seems easy. All of a sudden, the chemistry between the core group of players looks great. This was evident after the Houston Rockets emerged victorious over the Minnesota Timberwolves, when Kevin Durant took a slight dig at his Rockets teammates.
Advertisement
Houston entered the game having lost four of its last five, and Durant looked frustrated in recent matches. But an inspiring 39-point outing helped the Rockets overcome the Wolves 110-105.
Despite being 37, Durant showed why he’s still one of the best in the NBA, and why the Rockets desperately wanted to sign him to make a title push this season. Not everything has gone smoothly, but on certain nights, he takes over and looks seemingly unstoppable, carrying a young roster on his seasoned back.
After the Minnesota game, Durant was asked in an ESPN broadcast what type of “energy” the youngsters like Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson bring to the side. Hilariously, Durant decided to credit himself for bringing just that.
“I bring the energy, brother,” the two-time NBA champ said.
Q: “What kind of energy KD are (the young guys) bringing to you every night when you’re out there?”
Kevin Durant: “I bring the energy brother” pic.twitter.com/Li7aZXdBzQ
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) January 17, 2026
Durant was joking, yes. But there was sincerity to what he said. He doesn’t want to be known as the “vet” and “voice of wisdom” in a contending team. He wants it known that he, too, can be the man in the spotlight, gelling the guys together.
To answer the question though, Durant stated, “Most part, it’s just enthusiastic players who enjoy development, enjoy getting better, I feed off that energy every single day, I just enjoy getting up to see these young guys who just want so much in a league, excited to be in the league, [have] the opportunity to do some good things.”
After their recent slump, which was full of unenthusiastic performances, the Rockets did look like what Durant described on Friday. They will be looking to build on this victory to climb further up the standings in the weeks to come. A 5-5 record in their last 10 won’t cut it.
Currently, the Rockets are 24-15 and fifth in the Western Conference.
