{"id":938760,"date":"2026-10-24T02:34:46","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T02:34:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/938760\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T02:34:46","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T02:34:46","slug":"nba-veteran-stars-continue-to-inspire-the-next-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/938760\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA veteran stars continue to inspire the next generation"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Kevin Durant continues to inspire the NBA\u2019s next generation as he enters his 20th season.<\/p>\n

These are unique times in the NBA, where players enter the league younger than ever and stay longer than ever. It makes for some interesting interactions when young players somewhat nervously approach veterans and pay their respects.<\/p>\n

These conversations have evolved over the years, from having a poster of their hero on the wall while growing up and wearing their jersey on the schoolyard to finally swapping jerseys on the court in a memorable moment of truth.<\/p>\n

Kevin Durant has had a number of these tributes as he begins his 20th season, none more impactful than Victor Wembanyama\u2019s revelation that Durant was his favorite player growing up.<\/p>\n

Again, that makes Wemby one among thousands, if not millions, who were star-struck by Durant. But Wemby was born and raised in faraway France, stayed up late to watch NBA games and obviously arrived and became the future of the league.<\/p>\n

So his endorsement of Durant carries a bit more weight.<\/p>\n

And that endorsement continues. After leading France to the gold medal game in the 2024 Paris Olympics and falling short to Durant and the U.S., Wemby said, \u201cI want to learn from him and perhaps steal one or two of his secret techniques.\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, as one of the projected 2026- 27 Kia NBA MVP contenders<\/a>, he intends to make progress here in his fourth season.<\/p>\n

And Friday offers another chance for Wemby to show the mentor what he\u2019s trying to borrow.<\/p>\n

The Spurs meet the Rockets (9:30 ET, Prime) <\/a>and Durant is now a frequent divisional opponent in the West. Wemby has averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds against Durant-led teams. Durant gets to see what he helped create \u2014 a 7-foot-4 center who\u2019s comfortable on the perimeter and confident enough to pull up from 18 feet and beyond when necessary.<\/p>\n

Wemby\u2019s deep shooting isn\u2019t polished, though, and it was an issue Tuesday when he went 1-13 in the Spurs\u2019 season opener. That\u2019s part of an offensive game that remains a work in progress. Still, he\u2019s determined to stick with the blueprint, realizing that a consistent ability to at least be a threat from 18 feet and beyond would separate him from most other big men.<\/p>\n

When those shots connect, and they did last season when he showed improvement, it gives him an additional weapon offensively.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a byproduct of copying Durant. As a teenager, Wemby saw similarities in their body types \u2014 both are tall and slender \u2014 and viewed Durant as the perfect archetype. And that\u2019s for good reason; Durant is roughly 7 feet tall and his release point on his jumper makes him tough to guard on the perimeter.<\/p>\n

What Wemby wants is to strike the right balance between a tall man taking advantage of his height for easy buckets in the paint and stretching the floor to flex a shooting touch that makes him unique for his size.<\/p>\n

Durant said: \u201cHis jump shot\u2019s getting better, his instincts for the game are getting better, his fundamentals are getting better. For the rest of his career, he is going to be guarded with physical defense and with two and three guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words, like the defense that Durant demands.<\/p>\n

At age 38, Durant is among a handful of stars who have been in the NBA as long as some players have been on Earth. These situations make them larger-than-life mentors and, even better, still active and therefore approachable. Rookies are competing against their idols in real time because the influence of Durant and other durable players remains great.<\/p>\n

Here are the most influential active players who get their flowers every season from the next generation.<\/p>\n

Stephen Curry<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A no-brainer. Curry is among the greatest game-changers in history, along with Elgin Baylor, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and more. His 3-point shooting started a basketball revolution \u2014 and he\u2019s still around to play against those who shot their way to the NBA. Curry is treated as a human shrine by rookies who now approach him every year and bow down.<\/p>\n

Kyrie Irving<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

His handles can\u2019t be duplicated but certainly copied by a number of young players who dribbled their way into the league, partly by studying his technique. Irving is a combination of fundamentals and sizzle, a hard double to pull off without a rash of turnovers.<\/p>\n

LeBron James<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Not many next-generation players will hit the genetic lottery as LeBron did, but they can learn from how he prepares for longevity through his diet, commitment to fitness and focus on injury prevention \u2014 all of which have helped him begin his 24th season.<\/p>\n

James Harden<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The step-back jumper, which creates space between a shooter and the defender, is now a fixture of the offensive manual.<\/p>\n

Nikola Joki\u0107 and Luka Don\u010di\u0107<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Aside from swaying a generous swath of up-and-coming professional players on the international market, these two supreme passers are feted for their ability to see the floor and elevate teammates.<\/p>\n

Durant once touched on his influence on the next generation, saying he was thankful to be in that position and explaining why he takes the time to listen when players approach him and pay their respects, calling the practice \u201csurreal.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said, \u201cI\u2019d like to think it\u2019s because of the way I approach and respect this game and how I go about my business.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cIt also means I\u2019m old.\u201d<\/p>\n

Old, but not fading. Durant is at the career stage where he\u2019s chasing immortals and milestones and climbing ladders. Next up is passing Kobe Bryant and moving into fourth place on the all-time scoring list; assuming good health, Durant should accomplish that by mid-season at his current scoring pace.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would mean a lot,\u201d he said recently. \u201cBeing in the company of greats is always amazing. It shows how long you have to play, how consistent you have to be. It\u2019s a milestone that speaks on the consistency of me as a player. To be amongst the names that I\u2019m around is surreal, it\u2019s hard to put into words.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wemby\u2019s rough start to the 2026-27 season was a bit surprising on the heels of his best season, where he showed growth offensively. He averaged 25 points in just 29 minutes and shot respectably (35%) from deep and 51% from the field. Then, when the curtain opened on 2026-27, he missed his first 12 shots.<\/p>\n

He seemed humbled by this and said, \u201cI need to go back to playing the basketball I like. This is not the sport I like right here. I\u2019ve got no reason to be hesitant, no reason to not be myself. I\u2019m good when I have fun. I missed a lot of shots I usually don\u2019t miss. But after that, I didn\u2019t go back to these shots, and I wasn\u2019t decisive. I might be overthinking it. I don\u2019t need to do more. I need to think less probably.\u201d<\/p>\n

One game is obviously a small sample size, and it also came against a very good defensive team that offers three seven-footers \u2014 Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Aday Mara \u2014 unlike most of the teams Wemby will face this season. The Rockets will throw Steven Adams and Alperen Sengun, but they\u2019re not as athletic as the OKC big men.<\/p>\n

If he truly wants to mimic Durant, Wemby will need to find a signature post move first, if only to put the defense on alert and create more room for himself on the perimeter.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s on the right path to being one of the greatest we\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d said Durant, who knows about greatness. \u201cIt\u2019s just about getting through those experiences and learning from them to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at\u00a0spowell@nba.com<\/a>, find\u00a0his archive here<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0follow him on\u00a0X<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kevin Durant continues to inspire the NBA\u2019s next generation as he enters his 20th season. These are unique…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":938761,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,7216,590,85,12838],"class_list":["post-938760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-kevin-durant","tag-nba","tag-sports","tag-victor-wembanyama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/938760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=938760"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/938760\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/938761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=938760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=938760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=938760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}