Seattle SuperSonics rookie Kevin Durant has a tough night against the Orlando Magic
Kevin Durant will be a star one day -- hardly anyone quibbles with that -- but he looked like just another lost rookie Tuesday night.
Kevin Durant, who just turned 19 years old, has become the face of a franchise with the look of uncertainty, both on the court and off.
The Seattle SuperSonics are a once-proud team that that has embarked on an unsettling rebuilding project, pushing their best veteran players aside this summer to begin a new adventure with Kevin Durant, the most highly-touted rookie in the league.
"Every day is going to be a learning day," Kevin Durant said. "Every time I step on the floor, I see someone I have admired. I'm going to learn from them."
Kevin Durant, a 6-9 guard from Texas, came into Tuesday's game averaging an impressive 21.7 points, but he left with the Sonics still winless (0-8) and with little prospect of finding a victory anytime soon.
They lost, 103-76, to the Magic, which played one of their worst games of the season and still coasted to an easy victory.
Kevin Durant hit just four of 13 shots -- missed all three of his 3-point attempts -- and scored 10 points. He had one rebound, no assists and four turnovers in 25 minutes, proving just how much he has to learn.
"I think we took a couple steps backward tonight," he said. "This is the game of basketball. You are going to miss shots. I just want to play and get better."
Kevin Durant previously had scored 27 points in a loss to Sacramento. He scored 24 points against the Los Angeles Clippers. He is the only Sonics player to score at least 10 points in all eight games, but there was nothing to celebrate after this one.
Instead of driving the ball toward the basket, he settled mostly for jumpers, almost shying away from the contact. He struggled against Magic veterans Keith Bogans and Hedo Turkoglu. He struggled on defense, too.
By purging their roster -- trading Ray Allen to Boston, allowing Rashard Lewis to leave in free agency -- the Sonics are making sure that Kevin Durant will get all the playing time he can handle. His 25 minutes Tuesday were a season-low.
"There's really not too much he can't do," said Sonics coach P.J. Carlesimo. "And he's getting a chance to learn in a way that most rookies don't always get a chance to do. But it's going to be an incredible learning process."
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