During the NBA offseason, it’s not unusual for some of the league’s top stars to be seen working out together. On Sunday, a clip circulated of Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant in a workout session with Paolo Banchero
While the Orlando Magic would likely approve of Durant providing a bit of mentorship to the 23-year-old power forward, the 16-time All-Star faced criticismfrom former teammate and ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins
“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.”
Nobody Better Than KD For Paolo To Work With In The Offseason 🎥(IG/adamharrington) https://t.co/W9NjOAXksdpic.twitter.com/HcoYgP4wVI
— Huncho Hoops (@HunchoHoops) July 20, 2026
As mentioned by Perkins, the championship-winning 2008 Boston Celtics went on a trip to Rome prior to the regular season. This is credited with greatly improving team chemistry, which translated to success on the court
In his first year with the Rockets, Durant led the team in scoring with 26.0 points per game last season. Through his leadership, Houston secured the fifth seed in the Western Conference before falling to the Lakers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs
Right below Durant in Houston’s offensive pecking order is 23-year-old center Alperen Sengun, who averaged 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists over 72 games last season. Drawing comparisons to Nikola Jokic, Sengun ranked in the top 10 for points, rebounds, and assists among centers
As a de facto torchbearer, the 37-year-old has more to gain from the continued development of Sengun. Coming off a second consecutive All-Star appearance, Sengun could benefit from improving pick-and-roll fluidity and further smoothing his mechanics while training with the two-time NBA champion
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka will likely stick with the traditional format of training camp, which provides sufficient time for Durant to offer any tips to interested younger teammates. Aside from that, it’s unreasonable to dictate how Durant or Sengun pursue professional development during their free time
Coming off 78 appearances last season, there’s no doubt that Durant is invested in the success of the Rockets and will be for the foreseeable future. Although spending time with Banchero isn’t necessarily favorable to Houston, there is no harm in Durant running drills with other NBA stars at this point of the summer
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Published 1 hour ago
ERIC JAY SANTOS
Eric Jay Santos is a contributing writer for Houston Rockets On SI. He has covered the NBA since 2020, with bylines in On SI, Newsweek, and SB Nation. He holds a BA in English from Bridgewater State University and an MA in English from Southern New Hampshire University
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