“There’s no dropoff,” Rockets head coach Ime Udoka says of Kevin Durant’s level of play at 37 years old. “It’s the same ol’ Kevin, efficient. He goes about every day the same as he always has.”
Through his first five regular-season games with the Houston Rockets, Kevin Durant is averaging 27.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 55.1% overall, 40.9% on 3-pointers, and 85.4% on free throws.
The Rockets (3-2) have the league’s best offense and second-best net rating over that stretch, and their newly acquired All-Star forward is among the primary reasons why.
Prior to Saturday’s road victory over the Celtics, head coach Ime Udoka was asked about the evolution of his 37-year-superstar, who is now in his 19th NBA season.
Udoka coached Durant five years ago as a top assistant with the Nets, and statistically, there hasn’t been much of a decline — if at all — over that time. To say the least, that’s in contrast to the usual NBA aging curve.
Via Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, Udoka said this when comparing the current version of Durant to what he saw in Brooklyn:
There’s no dropoff. It’s the same ol’ Kevin, efficient. It’s good for the group to have that (in Houston), and it’s rubbed off on our young guys.
He goes about every day the same as he always has. Since we crossed paths with Team USA and all the (playoff) series against him, I’ve seen it first hand in Brooklyn, and the same thing here.
I think he’s taking maybe a mentor role, a little bit, with our younger guys. He had James (Harden), Kyrie (Irving), and a lot of veterans in Brooklyn. But he’s been great with our guys.
In his typically modest style, Durant gave much of the credit for his longevity to trainers and younger teammates, from which he finds “kid-like energy.”
But if his current level of play is sustained, he’ll undoubtedly get plenty of individual accolades as the 2025-26 campaign progresses — including the potential of a 16th All-Star selection next February. That would tie Julius Erving for the fourth-most in NBA history.
“Just the preparation, and his ability to put pressure on defenses,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla told the Boston Globe when asked about Durant’s long-term success. “I think it’s his competitive nature. He’s one of the smarter players, just a high-level competitor. I have a lot of respect for him.”
