LeBron James laughs as Kevin Durant doesn’t waste time sneak dissing new Rockets teammate

All-Star forward Kevin Durant is starting to get comfortable with his new Houston Rockets teammates already. For the 2025-26 season, the Rockets have actively tried to keep their core intact while adding the necessary role players and veterans to the mix. At the start of the NBA free agency, the Rockets agreed to sign Dorian Finney-Smith on a four-year, $33 million contract.

The addition of Finney-Smith gives the Rockets more depth on both ends, especially after trading Dillon Brooks to the Phoenix Suns for Durant. This gives Houston a productive three-and-D player off the bench.

The forward appeared in 63 total games (20 for the Brooklyn Nets and 43 with the LA Lakers) in 2024, averaging 8.7 points and 3.9 rebounds on 41.1% shooting from three-point range.

On Tuesday, a sneak peek of the newest episode of LeBron James and Steve Nash's "Mind the Game" podcast - featuring Durant - was shared on X (formerly Twitter). In it, KD discussed what the team should do when the clock is winding down.

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He was explaining the options that the Rockets have during certain situations.

"Get the ball to the best player, and if he shoot a mid-range at that point, then he shoot a mid-range," Durant explained.

The 15-time All-Star took a slight dig at Finney-Smith, saying the Rockets aren't going to look for players like DFS to shoot the 3-pointer during those kinds of situations.

"But we not going waste the clock trying to look for a three, two seconds on the clock, and we giving it to -- no disrespect, Dorian Finney-Smith, with two seconds on the clock and make a three."

King James, who was listening to Kevin Durant, couldn't help but laugh at what he said, although he knows Finney-Smith can bring a lot to the table.

Kevin Durant drops a truth bomb about Cleveland Cavaliers

During the episode, LeBron James, Steve Nash and Kevin Durant talked about the value Cleveland Cavaliers star Darius Garland brings to the team. Nash stated that while Garland's offense is great, his defensive flaws make him a weak link, a statement with which Durant agreed.

“If you want to beat the Cleveland Cavs, you go at [Darius] Garland, most of the time,” the two-time champion said (45:17).

Kevin Durant pointed out that Garland's size is what limits him from becoming a great on-ball defender. He highlighted that teams usually give the ball to their best players, who are usually bigger and stronger than the Cavs' star.

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About the author

Reign Amurao

Reign Amurao specializes in basketball at Sportskeeda, bringing 3 years of experience to his role and a Bachelor's Degree in Communication.

A fervent supporter of the Phoenix Suns, Reign was hooked to their electrifying "Seven-Seconds-Or-Less" offense, which epitomizes high-paced and high-intensity basketball. For Reign, Steve Nash is the ultimate floor general, and he believes Boris Diaw could've been the next Magic Johnson if he had a bit more discipline. 

From Reign's perspective, Anthony Edwards is a 90s player stuck in modern times, and Gregg Popovich is an ultimate winner with unparalleled success and leadership in the sport.

Reign's expertise lies in NBA history, particularly the significant moments and trends of the 2000s and 2010s. He prioritizes in-depth research using only credible sources to maintain accuracy in his articles, and avoids misleading topics.

Beyond basketball, Reign enjoys gaming with friends and watches comedy shows and films.

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