Reed Sheppard recently sat down for an interview with NBA TV, and he raved about Kevin Durant’s influence on him in his first few days with the Houston Rockets. According to the former Kentucky Wildcat, most fans and pundits have overlooked Durant’s leadership.
“For me, that’s an easy one. I would just say his work ethic. When he walks into the gym and starts working out, you can tell just how hard he works. He’s going game speed every time he touches the ball, so that’s the biggest thing I’ve learned,” Sheppard said about Durant. “You can tell it’s definitely benefited him. You know what he does, you know how he plays. So seeing him work that hard has been good for me.”
“It’s really cool for me. I’m still young, so I grew up watching him. And now being on the same team as him is really cool. He’s really good at building you up, saying ‘Good pass’, ‘Good shot’, all this stuff, so it’s the little things that most people don’t see. The high-fives and the smack to the back, that stuff goes a long way, especially coming from a guy like him,” he added.
Sheppard balled out in the Houston Rockets’ 133-115 preseason victory against the Atlanta Hawks yesterday. The 21-year-old guard led with 29 points, six rebounds, six assists, four steals, and five three-pointers on 12-for-22 shooting from the field.
Houston Rockets News: Kevin Durant shares where he wants to finish his career
Kevin Durant thought he’d be spending the final years of his NBA career with the Phoenix Suns, but life had other plans. Now with the Houston Rockets, Durant hopes to build something special with the team before he calls it quits.
“I’m looking to be here as long as I can, play my last years of my career,” Durant told SI’s Chris Mannix. “That’s the intent. I know I said that about Phoenix, too, but that’s the intent. I would love to do that. I mean, I’m 37 years old and I’m going on 19 years in the league.
“I want to be solidified in a spot and build with a team with a group of guys that’s going to be around for a while. So hopefully this is it,” he added.
