Golden State Warriors backup point guard Shaun Livingston has seen just about everything as a journeyman in the NBA, even getting the chance to play with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The injury-riddled and once highly-touted high school prospect out of Peoria, Illinois had seen the Thunder during a very ripe period in 2008-10, still three years away from going to the finals, but knowing the talent that resided with the trio.
“You could see the talent level was there,” Livingston said on Bleacher Report's The Full 48 podcast. “You could see how those guys prepared and how they were grooming those guys to be the players that they are today. So that was definitely a special time and it gave me a lot of perspective as well.”
In the better part of a season-and-change with OKC, Livingston knew just what the Warriors were getting with the addition of Durant and what to expect from him as a person and a teammate.
“When [Durant] first came in, like ‘okay, I know what type of person Kevin is; he’s gonna fit in great here,'” said Livingston.
Despite having been a target of the public eye for the majority of the season, Durant, as a teammate, hasn't changed a bit in the eyes of the veteran point guard.
“It starts before you even get on the court, just his interaction with guys. It’s real selfless,” Livingston said. “He’s a real humble guy — he’s a humble superstar in that sense.”
“We do a lot of team bonding — we do a lot of team events — and I think that allows guys to get more comfortable with each other, to be able to communicate with each other.”
But the key of it all rests in being just another guy in the locker room and having the same level of accountability as others despite being a superstar player.
“Hold each other accountable — that’s hard to do,” the 6-foot-7 guard assured. “But we feel like we can do that. I feel like I can say something to Kevin and he’s gonna take it in stride and know that it’s for the best of the team, and he can do the same to me because we want to win and we’re able to hold each other accountable.”
“That’s part of being a good teammate no matter if you’re the 15th man or if you’re the MVP.”
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