Oklahoma City Thunder News 2015: Kevin Durant Talks about Relationship with Fellow Star Russell Westbrook
Kevin Durant is nearing the end of his contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the only franchise he's played his entire career. The talk of becoming a free agent this offseason will certainly heat up should the team fail to go deeper into the playoffs this year, but if he eventually decides to go that way, he made it a point that it isn't because of his relationship with teammate and fellow superstar Russell Westbrook.
Durant sat down with The Oklahoman in an interview published last Friday, talking about his relationship with Westbrook. He characterized it as like "being brothers" and that they consider themselves "like family."
This is certainly a response to lots of talk about the two not being able to coexist in a Thunder team that relies heavily on them. But the shoot-first mentality of Westbrook, the team's point guard, seems to be quite ironic when paired to a scoring machine like Durant. But all throughout those years of playing together, it looked like they've found a way to co-exist.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The forward, however, admitted that they also argue, just like any other teammates who are highly competitive. "There are times we cuss each other out, but that's a part of being brothers," he said. "I know if I need something, he'll be there, and if I need to talk to someone outside of basketball, he'll be there," Durant added.
Disagreement is always part of basketball, but they're not as healthy as they should be sometimes. Many teams have disintegrated due to conflict among players and with coaches. But the way the Thunder is winning, it seems like there's no big deal for the team even if both superstars are in disagreement. "There's times where we go at it. There's times I don't like what he's doing out on the court, there's times where he hate what I'm doing out on the court," Durant admitted.
The two have shown all these years that when one is absent, the team suffers. Westbrook for his part was never touted to become a dominant scorer in the league, but he's been a very good complement to Durant. He even carried the team countless times when Durant was out with injuries. Last year, he had to put the Thunder on his shoulders after Durant missed all but 27 games of the season. He averaged 28.1 points during the stretch, but the Thunder missed the playoffs for the first time since 2009.
