Kevin Durant Gives Himself New Nickname Amid Newest NBA Stat

The NBA unveiled a new statistic to measure a star's effect on the defense, and Kevin Durant wasted no time reacting to it.

Dec 21, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) looks on during the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

While Kevin Durant is regarded as one of the NBA's greatest scorers ever, the Houston Rockets acquired him for more reasons than scoring points. His sheer presence is what will take them to the next level.

Durant is averaging 25.2 points per game ahead of the Rockets' Christmas Day matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. He isn't putting up the same numbers as he was in his prime, but the 37-year-old is still having a tremendous effect on a Houston offense that jumped from 12th in rating last season to third at the moment (121.0).

Despite taking just 17 shots per game, the lowest since the 2016-17 season, Durant still has a gravitational effect on defenses. The 6-foot-11 wing is more prone to drawing double teams as an initiator, which allows teammates such as Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and others to create shots without as much pressure.

The NBA recently released a new statistic that helps determine how effective a star's gravitational pull is on a defense. 'Player gravity' is cited as, "how much a player pulls defenders towards them above expected, essentially measuring how much attention they draw compared to what the spacing on the floor predicts."

Durant is second in the league in this stat (17.2), only behind Stephen Curry (20). The Slim Reaper leads the league in off-ball interior gravity (15.9), showing just how much he pulls defenses into the paint when the ball isn't in his hands.

Durant reacted to this new stat on X, formerly known as Twitter, an app that he knew all too well to be active on. The former MVP posted a tweet that was deleted, but stayed up long enough for fans to react, calling him "Gravity Man."

Even with a Christmas Day game, Durant gave a simple reply to one fan who criticized the Rockets' ability to win games despite the superstar's efficiency.

"Yup you definitely are efficiency man," the fan replied. "Cant wait to watch you to go 9/14 in a loss instead of emptying the clip today."

"Enjoy the games and merry Christmas," Durant responded.

Houston is 4-6 in December heading into Thursday's game in Los Angeles, with Durant averaging 26.1 points per game in that stretch. The Lakers have been dealing with their fair share of winter struggles, with a 4-5 record this month. This will be a perfect opportunity for either side to make a statement with 2026 around the corner.