At 37 years old, Kevin Durant continues to be one of the NBA’s most formidable veteran presences on the court. Despite his age, he remains among the league’s most efficient and impactful offensive threats
While his offensive skills remain unmatched, he has evolved in other ways to help his team, namely his leadership style, which has changed since he became part of the Houston Rockets.
Kevin Durant Shares How He Leads His Houston Rockets Teammates
Durant, a cornerstone piece for any roster, is now with his fifth franchise since being drafted in 2007. Over those years, he has established himself as an offensive menace on the court and a polarizing figure off it.
His engagement with basketball enthusiasts on X (formerly Twitter) suggests he has always been vocal with his teammates. However, an article by Yahoo! Sports’ Kelly Iko says otherwise.
Durant stated that he preferred to let his actions speak for themselves when it came to his teammates. “You could talk loud as you want, but if you’re not going out there and doing what you’re talking about, your teammates are not going to really respect it,” he said.
However, that approach changed when he arrived in Houston. As the second-oldest player on the Rockets, he shifted to a more vocal style of leadership for his younger teammates.
“I got more comfortable speaking up when I see stuff. I feel like I study the game a lot. I’ve been through every situation and experienced every situation,” Durant said. “So I feel like that’s given me more confidence to speak up when I see things and to help my teammates as much as possible.”
He also credited his teammates for being “open-minded” when he needed to speak up about something.
“You could talk loud as you want, but if you’re not going out there and doing what you’re talking about, your teammates are not going to really respect it.” 🗣️
Kevin Durant shared how he’s evolved as a leader throughout his career. pic.twitter.com/OEkxOLNtLh
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) November 19, 2025
Durant is one of seven players on the Rockets squad who are 30 or older. Jae’Sean Tate is the youngest of this group at 30, followed by Clint Capela and Fred VanVleet at 31. Both Steven Adams and Dorian Finney-Smith are 32, and Jeff Green is 39. Among them, only Durant has played in every single one of the Rockets’ games (12).
He’s also the only one who’s averaged double-digit scoring and is, in fact, the team’s leader in that regard (25.9 points per game). He has also scored efficiently, with 51/40/88 shooting splits.
Under his leadership and on-court performance, the Rockets are 9-3 entering their Nov. 19 matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
