Udoka: The situations of the Rockets and Nets are completely different, and Durant needs to provide different leadership

In the previous NBA regular season, the Houston Rockets, playing at home, defeated the Orlando Magic in a thrilling 117-113 after overtime. After this game, the Rockets, who had won 4 consecutive victories, improved their record to 9 wins and 3 losses, and continued to rank third in the Western Conference; while the Magic, who ended their 3 consecutive winning streak, saw their record drop to 7 wins and 7 losses, and their ranking fell to 11th in the Western Conference. After the game, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka accepted an interview with reporters. In the interview, he also talked about the leadership skills and leadership qualities shown by the team's forward star Kevin Durant after joining the team.

In this regard, Uduka said: In such a younger team, Durant needs to take on more responsibilities. Sometimes he must speak out more, and we sometimes have higher requirements for him. I said similar things to Jeff Green before. Green also has a different role to play on a much younger team, and over the last three years he's started to speak out more and be able to play the role we wanted him to play. This is very different from his previous role with the Brooklyn Nets, and the same is true for Durant.

Uduka continued: In the Nets, Durant is surrounded by James Harden and Kyrie Irving, and there are many veterans around you. So you don't have to be as loud or do certain things, but here it's a completely different situation, where he's with this young group of players for the first time, and it requires him to provide a different type of leadership. This is not just about setting an example every day, doing good training and maintaining a good attitude, but more about teaching and accompanying, including holding your teammates in your arms and providing them with encouragement, constantly motivating them during the game, etc. So it's a completely different type of leadership, but you can already see that in him, and that's what I'm really excited about.

In this game, Durant played 45 minutes and 5 seconds, shooting 13 of 24, 2 of 8 from beyond the three-point line, and 7 of 7 free throws. He scored 35 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 block. He also had 5 turnovers and 2 fouls, with a plus-minus of +4. Since the start of this season, Durant has averaged 36.1 minutes per game in the first 12 games, averaging 25.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1 steal, and 0.7 blocks per game. He also has 3 turnovers and 2.8 fouls. He shot 51% from the field, 40% from the three-point range, and 88.8% from the free throw line. Durant's performance this season is obvious to all, and his support for the team after joining the Rockets is also visible to the naked eye. I don’t know if with the help of Durant, the Rockets can have a better record this season and take a step further in the playoffs.