Kevin Durant on the Nets: ‘We hold ourselves to a high standard’
As Kevin Durant enters his fifteenth season in the NBA, he looks to pick up right where he left off in Tokyo: Dominating the competition. In previous years, the 33-year-old had a different approach to the game on his way to being one of the game’s best. At times, this did not allow the Nets star to focus on what was most important: His mental health. Following Thursday’s training camp practice, here is what the two-time NBA champion had to say about it in an interview with Brian Lewis of the New York Post:
“I’m starting to understand the game a little bit more, and I kind of simplified it for myself … I try not to chase anything outside of just being the best that I can be on the floor. I know that is cliché and simple, but I really try to approach every rep as trying to be the best I can be, and everything else outside of that will take care of itself — Sometimes, you may overthink it and may think too much about reactions and opinions of others because you’re on the journey to perfection. But start to relax a little bit and understand what this is about and understand the long game. It definitely made my mental (health) a little bit more at ease coming to the gym every day and not focusing on that stuff.”
Durant continued on by emphasizing how he and his teammates do not need other people to put pressure on them. It is already in their competitive nature to find that motivation within to push themselves to the next level, regardless of the circumstances:
“Outside pressure don’t really matter much,” said Durant. “We all internally put pressure on ourselves because we hold ourselves to a high standard, and you want to play well every time you step out there. That’s just who we are as competitors.”
