Kevin Durant has seen his leadership skills develop throughout his long NBA career. As a veteran star for the Houston Rockets, this has been crucial to helping the team’s younger players handle the weight of expectations.
Durant has received criticism in past seasons for how he’s addressed issues on and off the court. He addressed that concept following a recent interview.
Kevin Durant Believes Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Durant is going through his 19th year in the NBA, standing tall as one of the most experienced stars in the league. Following an underwhelming stint with the Phoenix Suns, he has adapted well to his surroundings in Houston, as he looks to lead them as serious playoff contenders.
Durant took part in an interview with Yahoo Sports reporter Kelly Iko this week. He was vocal about his approach towards being active on the court, not by what he says but for what he does. “More than anything, I always wanted to be a guy that does s*** instead of says s***,” Durant told Yahoo Sports.
“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. So I always erred on the side of shutting up and going to work, and hopefully that inspires. But if I need to say something, if I feel something and something is on my heart, then I’ll come out and talk.”
“I got more comfortable speaking up when I see stuff,” Durant said. “I feel like I study the game a lot. I’ve been through every situation and experienced every situation. 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.
“But it’s just been a natural progression of me just being comfortable in the locker room, and also my teammates being open-minded to hear what I have to say.”
“I’m not a tap the glass in front of the whole group and get everybody to listen to me real quick on the megaphone,” Durant said. “But I pull a guy to the side here and there, say a quick thing that I got on my mind and move on.”
Durant has been remarkable as one of the Rockets’ most important players. 13 games in, he is averaging 25.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He is shooting 51% from the field, including 40% from beyond the arc, and 88.8% from the free-throw line.
Durant and the Rockets Are Off to a Strong Start
Durant and the Rockets will look to continue their hot start to the season. They landed Durant this past offseason, following their playoff appearance last season, which showed their championship aspirations.
Houston possesses a 10-3 record to start this season, the third-best in the Western Conference so far. They are behind the Denver Nuggets by 0.5 games and the Oklahoma City Thunder by 3.5 games.
They are achieving this while ranking first in points per game (124.8) and sixth in points allowed per game (113.2). This includes having the best offensive rating (125.3) and 13th-best defensive rating (113.7) in the NBA, according to Basketball Reference.
The Rockets will look forward to their next matchup, which features their next NBA Cup contest. They host the Nuggets on Nov. 21 at 9:30 p.m. ET.
