On Saturday, the Houston Rockets took a 102-99 loss to the Phoenix Suns. There was an added sense of intrigue to the match, as it came less than a month after the viral social media exchange between Rockets star Kevin Durant and Suns owner Mat Ishbia.

During an interview, Ishbia made a comment that the 16-time All-Star’s departure from Phoenix had taught him to be more personally involved in building the team’s culture. This caused Durant to express that he felt he was being blamed for the franchise’s shortcomings.

Durant scored a team-high 21 points in Saturday’s loss. Although he ramped up his scoring volume after only taking one shot in the first half, he went 1-for-7 from three-point range.

Phoenix’s victory knocked Houston down to sixth place in the Western Conference standings. During postgame media availability, Durant conveyed that he has no animosity toward the Suns and misses living in the city.

"It's a normal, regular game. I played here for 2.5 years bro. It's not that deep. I loved living in Phoenix. I miss it everyday, to be honest with you. My favorite place to live in the league. But outside of that, I've got no problems with anybody here."

Durant’s Role

While Durant was Houston’s scoring leader against the Suns, the two-time NBA champion has not been the clear first option throughout the team's first 10 games. He is averaging 20.8 points per game, which is close to his career-low for a full season.

This is a contrast to Durant’s first year with the Rockets, in which he averaged 26.0 points per game and finished in the top 5 in total points scored across the NBA. This earned him an All-NBA Second Team selection.

A contributing factor is the strength of the Rockets’ primary starting lineup, which includes players such as Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith Jr. The 38-year-old Durant still has the ability to lead the offense, though Houston’s young core is reaching a level of development at which they can also take over as scorers.

For instance, Smith has had two 30-point scoring performances since Houston’s season opener. Also, the two-time All-Star Sengun is currently outscoring Durant as the team’s top scorer.

Overall, as long as the Rockets continue to play winning basketball, it should be expected that Durant is content with taking on a slightly reduced role in the starting lineup. The Suns’ loss raises some concerns, though it is too early to hit the panic button.