Joseph Zucker@@JosephZucker
Featured Columnist IVDecember 28, 2023
Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images
Kevin Durant acknowledged the Phoenix Suns have held some “heated conversations” internally amid a 15-15 start to the 2023-24 NBA season. Durant said, “So, tonight, it was good for us to go through some stuff early in the game to have those heated conversations where we can be like ‘All right, this is what we’re both supposed to do,’ and come back into the locker room and talk it over again.”
He added, “Sometimes, heated conversations are good for teams because you can be honest and real with one another, and then, you talk it over and move on.”
Notwithstanding, it’s tough to separate those comments from both Phoenix’s record and a recent report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski who said on NBA Countdown the Suns as an organization “can feel the frustration [from] Durant,” which stems partially from “the missed games for Brad Beal” and “the underwhelming supporting cast.” Durant refuted the report in a since-deleted Instagram post.
Every single championship winner experiences adversity in some form, and impassioned dialogue can undoubtedly be beneficial toward resolving any issues on the court or inside the locker room.
Public clashes between teammates can also point toward what are larger schisms behind the scenes, with Durant’s 2018 argument on the bench with then-Golden State Warriors teammate Draymond Green one example.
The rest of the season will largely determine how the discussions referenced by Durant are framed. Should the Suns right the ship and make a deep run in the playoffs, this part of the year will likely be cited as a time when they hit rock bottom and came out on the other side. If the struggles continue and Phoenix falls well short of its goal, then the team’s critics will say the warning signs were there all along.  » …
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