NBA fans have no idea how many times Kevin Durant will use his silky style to drain a midrange shot or pull-up 3-pointer. The 37-year-old, now with the Rockets, made his annual visit to TD Garden in Saturday night’s 128-101 win, invigorated by his younger teammates and seeking another championship.
Durant has two NBA titles, but the value of those championships continue to be debated. His move in free agency from Oklahoma City to Golden State is perhaps the second-most controversial NBA transaction of this generation, just behind LeBron James making “The Decision” to leave Cleveland for Miami.
Those seasons Durant was with the Warriors were glorious, but also filled with turmoil. Durant didn’t always get along with his teammates, Draymond Green in particular. He was never going to supplant favorite Stephen Curry as a Bay Area icon, so regardless of his contributions in winning those titles, it was always going to be Steph’s team.
He then went to Brooklyn, where he put his faith in Kyrie Irving to lead to more prosperity, but that didn’t work out.
Irving was injured, then battled with the league and the organization over his COVID-19 vaccination status and his social media behavior. Adding James Harden made for an intriguing Big Three, but the best chance the Nets had to reach the Finals was in 2021, when Durant’s apparent 3-pointer in Game 7 against the Bucks would have propelled Brooklyn onward, but the Nets failed to finish when Durant’s foot was ruled to be on the 3-point line.
After a forgettable stint in Phoenix, Durant has become the potential final piece for a youthful Rockets team led by former Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, who needed another adult in the room after the Rockets’ first-round flame out against the Warriors.
Durant is prepared to take on not only the primary scoring role but the leadership role.
“It’s been great thus far, we’re coming together pretty quickly and starting to understand each other as teammates,” Durant said Saturday following a shootaround at Emerson College. “It’s been fun. The coaching staff understands one another and they put us in position to be successful. I’m looking forward to seeing it through.”
So far, Durant’s numbers are typical of his prolific scoring prowess, averaging 27.2 points on 55.1 percent shooting through five games. He scored 26 on 8-for-11 shooting, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range, vs. the Celtics.
“I don’t think it’s much difference,” said Udoka, who also coached Durant when he was an assistant in Brooklyn. “He goes about every day the same as he always has. Since we crossed paths with Team USA and all the series against him, I’ve seen it first hand in Brooklyn and the same thing here, I think he’s making maybe [adopting] a mentor role a little bit with our younger guys. He had James, Kyrie and a lot of veterans in Brooklyn. But he’s been great with our guys. There’s no drop off.
“It’s the same ol’ Kevin, efficient. It’s good for that group to have that there and it’s rubbed off on our young guys.”
Durant has seven teammates who were born in the 2000s. He understands his place in this basketball generation and how he’s viewed by his younger brethren. He helped change the game with his scoring style, a 7-foot shooting guard, a perimeter maven.
“Great trainers, for one, people that invest in trying to keep me around for a long time,” Durant said of his longevity. “And then I try to keep that kid-like energy as much as I can. I don’t try to feel like I’m too much of a vet. I want to be in every drill. I want to practice as much as I can. I want to get as many reps in as I can. I just try to keep that type of energy and hopefully it lasts for a while.”
There are only four players remaining from Durant’s draft class — Al Horford, Mike Conley, and Jeff Green, Durant’s Rockets teammate. But there remains a youthful aspect to Durant’s game because of his finesse style.
“I’m 37, man, and I look around and these kids [are] 14, 15 years younger than me, it’s crazy,” he said. “But I think I get a lot of energy from those guys and I get excited coming into the gym every day and a lot of it is because of those young players.”
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, who doesn’t make a habit of discussing opposing players, made an exception for Durant.
“I think it’s his competitive nature,” Mazzulla said of Durant’s long-term success. “You see what he did in the Olympics. You see what he’s done at every stop of his career. Having played against him with Brooklyn, in the playoff series, just the preparation, his ability to put pressure on defenses. He’s one of the smarter players, just a high-level competitor. I have a lot of respect for him.”
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.
