Former NBA player Kenyon Martin suggested Kevin Durant hold Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka accountable for the recent loss instead of taking all the blame on himself. Currently, the Rockets are going very thin on the roster due to injured players, especially Fred VanVleet, who established himself as one of the most sure-handed floor generals.
Durant has all the pressure of scoring on him, and his underwhelming run at Rockets-Lakers cost his team a win, 100-92.
Kenyon Martin Suggests Kevin Durant Call Out Ime Udoka for the Recent Loss Against the Lakers
The Rockets have not been having a season for the record books, having one of the weakest defense in the league. The star player, Durant, continues to struggle being double-teamed frequently, especially since the help defense comes too late to the rescue. The team, averaging 30.7 3-point attempts per night this season, is mainly lacking momentum because of the absence of a point guard.
Even Durant, who scored only 18 points and had seven turnovers in the recent Rockets-Lakers clash, didn’t get the lane he needed to score. After the game, the 37-year-old took accountability, saying that he was the one who faltered and that maybe he should just make room for better players and sit in the corner.
“IDK man, maybe I just need to get out the way, go sit in the corner. Set some screens, space the floor,” he said in a postgame conference.
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“I’m going to do you a favor KD, I’m going to finish the sentence for you. You need to go ask Ime Udoka. They need to go ask the coach, I’ll finish it since you can’t say it, I’ll finish it for you. Go ask Ime why they got me in this situation constantly throughout the season. Go ask him why we don’t have no plays.”
Udoka has designated Amen Thompson as the floor general, but he has not been very effective in the role. Instead, Reed Sheppard can contribute much more as the on-ball guard.
Despite the situation, Durant received praise from his fellow veteran LeBron James, who was part of the Lakers team that bested the Rockets on Monday. The 41-year-old legend refused to pick the most difficult version of Durant to guard, noting that the Slim Reaper has been dominant throughout and has never not been great at basketball.
James also mentioned playing against Durant during his Golden State days alongside Stephen Curry and how dynamic that team was. The Rockets, fourth in the Western Conference, will face the Lakers again on March 18, 2026.
