Kevin Durant shouts out one guy after his Commanders' huge win: "Told you about that rookie"

While he’s working hard this training camp for the new start with the Houston Rockets, Kevin Durant is a big NFL fan and has been following closely his favorite team, the Washington Commanders. KD grew up in Washington, so that’s the reason why he’s a fan of the Commanders.

After going to the NFC Championship game last year, the expectations for Washington have risen this year.

A shaky start for Washington

However, heading into Week 6, it’s been an up-and-down season, with a lot of injuries for them, including the one to the team’s biggest star, quarterback Jayden Daniels. He was able to return last week to secure a huge road win over the favored Los Angeles Chargers, 27-10.

Daniels was a little bit rusty, even though he did play a good game in the end by throwing for 231 yards and a touchdown.

Durant didn’t give him a game ball, though, as he highlighted another key contributor for the Commanders instead.

“Huge game, I loved how poised we were. Told you about that rookie, [Jacory Croskey-Merritt], at running back. We’re trusting in our guys. We had some injuries, we traded Brian Robinson, so we needed somebody to fill that spot and the youngster came in and did his thing. Great team win… It was a good step in the right direction,” Durant said to Kay Adams on her podcast “Up & Adams Show.”

The rookie running back sensation

Croskey-Merritt has established himself as an out-of-nowhere weapon for the Commanders, considering they only drafted him in the seventh round. A lot of seven-round draft picks don’t even make the team, yet Croskey-Merrit was able to become a key guy on Washington’s offense.

Against the Chargers, he rushed for 111 yards on only 14 carries for a whopping 7.9 yards per carry. When we look at the five games he has played so far, he has had four touchdowns and 283 rushing yards on only 43 carries. That’s 6.6 yards per carry, which is an incredible production for any NFL running back, let alone a seventh-round draft pick. If they start giving him the ball even more, he’ll be well on his way to a 1000-yard season.

Also, after his stellar performance last week, Washington’s running back had himself a viral moment, too. The Commanders and Chargers game had the NFL’s GOAT, Tom Brady, as a color commentator and after every broadcast he does, Brady announces his player of the game, which was Jacory this time. He also does an interview with the lucky recipient of the award and the interview was nothing out of the ordinary, except for the end when the Commanders’ rookie couldn’t contain his excitement over the fact that he was talking to a legend like Brady, as Croskey-Merritt let out a child-like laugh when he realized what just happened.

If Jacory can stay consistent it would just another dimension to the Washington’s offense and would take the pressure of their sensational second-year quarterback who defied all the expectations so far.

At 3-2 record and getting healthier each week, Commanders’ are getting better and better as we approach the middle of the NFL season.

Not a lot of people give them a shot to go to the NFC Championship game like they did last year, but Durant is certainly not one of those critics.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 9, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Kevin Durant shouts out one guy after his Commanders’ huge win: “Told you about that rookie”

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