Shen Jing: The Warriors often foul but always complain about the referees. My goal for the new season is to make the All-Star team and win the championship.

On August 18, Beijing time, Rockets center Shen Jing was interviewed by "Socrates Magazine," discussing himself and the Rockets. Here are the specifics—

Regarding the key areas of improvement during the offseason

As you know, my shooting touch has declined this season. I have put a lot of effort into this aspect, including shooting and finishing skills. Of course, there's also my conditioning. Last season, my stamina greatly helped my defense and extended my playing time. Lastly, there's shooting.

Regarding the twin towers lineup

When Udoka introduced the twin towers lineup, my job became much easier. Previously, I had to constantly battle with the opposing center on defense and then switch to offense, which was exhausting. With the twin towers lineup, my performance improved, and I had more energy on both ends of the court.

Regarding my relationship with VanVleet

VanVleet has been an outstanding leader since he joined the team. He does a lot of unnoticed things on the court. Controlling and leading the team is not easy; even when he’s not on the court, he’s still doing it.

In my opinion, there’s no point guard in the league like VanVleet. Today's guards focus on their own shooting, but he does not. He sees my potential. Sometimes, VanVleet gets mad at me and argues with me, but it doesn’t last long. He’s always giving me pointers in my ear.

Regarding the trade for Jalen Green

Of course, I’m sad—Jalen is like a brother to me. He looks very cool on the surface, that’s for sure. But when you get to know him, you find he’s very kind and always willing to help. Some players pretend to be "cool" in front of their teammates, but Jalen is not like that. I believe he will become a great player. I told him, "I hope this motivates you." Sometimes he competes with himself, and I think he will mature and stop doing that.

Regarding Kevin Durant

I reached out to Kevin and told him I’m looking forward to working with him. He said, "We’re going to have a lot of fun and achieve great things."

In one game last season, I told him, "Don’t double-team me; let me go one-on-one." He replied, "No way, you’re an All-Star now; don’t expect to go one-on-one; get used to it."

Regarding Steven Adams

On the day he joined the team, I called Udoka and Stone directly and told them, "Usually, when a team signs a center of Adams' caliber as a backup, the starting center isn’t happy, but I’m very happy."

Adams' main focus is to make us better. For instance, sometimes he encourages me to shoot to boost my confidence. He doesn’t care about losing in practice. He’s a fantastic veteran.

I’m sure he works on strength, but I’ve never seen Adams lift weights. He has his unique training methods and spends a lot of time stretching.

In one training session, my task was to box him out. I held onto him tightly to prevent him from grabbing the rebound, and when he raised his arm, I felt like my shoulder was going to dislocate.

Regarding the 2025 playoffs

The Warriors might be the team that can cause us the most trouble, and we just happen to match up against them.

They are a very experienced team and often foul. In the playoffs, these fouls often go uncalled. Yet throughout the series, they kept complaining about the referees not calling fouls.

Meanwhile, we aren’t allowed to complain. This is more of an internal rule; Udoka doesn’t allow us to complain. If we do, he gets very angry.

Regarding matching up against Draymond Green

I’ve never been intimidated by such things in my life. If anything, it makes me more competitive.

Regarding Amen Thompson

Amen is an incredible athlete; truly, no one can compare to him.

Amen works very hard. You know, in the NBA, there are things like "fashion culture." But Amen only has eyes for basketball. He trains hard and takes recovery seriously. He fully utilizes the athletic gifts he’s been given.

Regarding triple-doubles

In one game, Amen was just one assist away from a triple-double. Normally, if the score difference is large, Udoka wouldn’t keep you on the court. Countless times, when I was close to a triple-double, he wouldn’t let me stay on the court.

But in that game, Udoka let him keep playing, and as a result, Amen twisted his ankle. Afterwards, I joked, "Amen, you ruined our chances. Now Udoka will never let me stay on the court for a triple-double again."

Regarding the 2025-26 season

There will be a lot of pressure this year, but I believe the whole team is capable of handling it. We are like soldiers now—Udoka and his soldiers. I feel like everyone is very focused, and the training is intense. I hope we can feel this excitement and pass it on to others.

Regarding the Western Conference

The West is fierce; you could say there are no weak teams. But this also benefits us... it prepares us for the playoffs. When facing stronger teams, you become more focused.

Regarding honors and goals

It feels great to be with other stars, learning about them. Not making the All-Star team is a bit disappointing; it was one of my goals. But such things motivate me. So this season, my goal is to make the All-Star team and become a champion. Even if I don’t make the All-Star team, as long as the team succeeds (that’s what matters).