With Kevin Durant departing from Oklahoma City for the East Bay, the Thunder are now solely Russell Westbrook's team. According to Enes Kanter though, the Thunder have always been Westbrook's team.
At least from a leadership standpoint that is.
While talking with the media on Friday, Kanter was asked about Westbrook becoming the leader in Oklahoma City this season and the Thunder center responded by saying, "He was our leader last year, too."
Enes Kanter on Westbrook as a leader this year: "He was our leader last year, too."
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) September 23, 2016
Now remember to take Kanter's comments with a grain of salt as he does have a history of stirring up trouble. His exit from the Utah Jazz was not the most amicable as Kanter essentially slammed the organization and the city of Salt Lake after he was traded. Kanter did retract some of his comments after the fact but the damage was done and he is still not warmly embraced whenever he returns to Utah.
However, Kanter does have a point. Westbrook, along with Durant, has been one of the leaders on the Thunder for quite some time now. Westbrook leads in a different way than Durant though as he is often more vocal and fiery with his praise and criticism. Yet no matter the style, Westbrook has been a leader on the Thunder.
Of course, Kanter's comments could also be viewed as a slight directed towards Durant. Especially since the Thunder center took a jab at Durant on Twitter when Westbrook signed an extension this summer. But no matter what exactly Kanter meant with his comment, Westbrook's leadership role on the Thunder is unquestioned and it is up to him to lead Oklahoma City in the wake of Durant's departure.
