Oklahoma City‘s transformation since the post-Kevin Durant era began has been a sight to marvel at, as not only the Thunder, but OKC itself has adapted the mentality of a wounded phoenix willing to rise from the ashes and keep fighting.

Sixth man Enes Kanter has been involved in this morphing cycle and has kept his eyes open throughout it all.

“I don’t have to go into the whole KD situation here, because that’s all in the past,” Kanter wrote in a piece titled “Russ” on The Players Tribune. “Kevin’s a really good dude, a nice guy, and was a part of our family here. And we all understand that basketball is a business. But when he left… man. You could really feel the impact of it, at first, you know?”

The city's shock factor rapidly transformed into animosity and disdain deriving from the hope Durant once brought to Oklahoma City when the franchise first moved from Seattle in 2008.

“You could feel a whole mood happening, where people are starting to feel bad,” Kanter continued. “And it’s not just the guys on the team … but maybe even all of OKC, the entire city, is feeling bad. It’s like, Oh, is this a city where we have good teams… and the fans get really into it… but then guys don’t stay? And then you hear all of these experts on TV, saying that it’s time for the Thunder to rebuild — you know, ‘Those guys had their chance, but now it’s over,' that sort of thing. And it’s like — OK, really? Just like that? It’s over? Before the preseason had even started, people were already telling us to pack up and go home.”

The other half of the team's long-standing one-two punch, Russell Westbrook, signed a three-year, $85.7 million extension with the team, committing to make this team his own.

“And of course — I mean, come on, of course — you knew that Russ was going to play with an extra edge this season, and try to prove all the haters and the doubters wrong. But what’s been so great about this year, and what has been the real difference-maker for us… is how Russ has made our whole team play with an extra edge. Suddenly we are all playing with this big chip on our shoulder. Suddenly we are all taking the haters and the doubters very personally.”

Westbrook is the frontrunner and -500 odds favorite for the Most Valuable Player award after surpassing Oscar Robertson for the most triple-doubles in an NBA season (42) and averaging a triple-double for the season for the first time since the latter did so in 1961-62.

“And what’s crazy is: I think pretty soon we all realized that we even like playing with this extra edge. And so it’s like, our whole Thunder team — we go from having the toughest summer, and adjusting to this new position we’re in … to now almost wanting to be in the position we’re in. ‘Haters are gonna hate,' that’s a classic Russ motto.”

“But now it’s just a team motto, you know?”