Durant's midnight message shows he's officially ride-or-die with the Rockets

As the Houston Rockets traded for Kevin Durant this offseason in a blockbuster deal with the Phoenix Suns, they knew that they were getting the superstar-caliber scorer and veteran presence that could help elevate this team into bona-fide title contention.

Yet, whether you love it or hate it, Durant has always had an additional dimension as a player, his propensity to quibble with fans on social media, and his interaction with a fan late last night following Houston's victory over the New Orleans Pelicans shows that he's already bought in fully to his new organization.

Following Amen Thompson's scuffle and near ejection, Durant was ready to jump to his defense: an excellent sign for what Durant could represent to the Rockets' young core.

Kevin Durant's late-night tweets show how ready he is to be a Rocket

While Houston got out to a hot start offensively, this scrappy Pelicans squad was not about to just roll over, and a dust-up between Thompson and Jose Alvarado, following a loose-ball foul on Alvarado, represented a rather intense moment for a preseason game.

While no punches were thrown, Alvarado received a technical foul while Thompson received a flagrant 1 foul, granting New Orleans two free throws and possession. In a preseason game, this sort of play has very little significance, but, nevertheless, former NBA player and coach Evan Turner jumped on social media to gently correct Thompson on where his focus is lying as we near the beginning of the season.

While it likely was not meant to be an underhanded criticism, Durant took it as such, and issued the following late-night reply to Turner's comments:

While Durant is certainly known for being active on X and engaging with fans, sometimes in debate, his willingness to jump to his teammate's defense, especially following a scrap like the one Thompson had, is significant.

Durant has only been around his teammates for a few short weeks, and the rate at which he is able to acclimate himself to Houston's young core and their offensive structure will go a long way to determine the team's early-season success.

Needless to say, the Rockets are an intense and physical team, and encounters like the one Thompson had will likely not be a rare occurence throughout the course of the season. If Durant is on board, and is bought in to the organization's vision for elevating the team to title contention, this team could quickly become truly dangerous.