Kevin Punter enters the new season with Barcelona carrying an additional responsibility: he has been named the team’s new captain under head coach Aleksander Sekulic, taking over from Tomas Satoransky. It is Punter’s second captaincy experience after previously holding the role at Partizan Belgrade.
“It’s an honor for me and I’ll carry that role well. I’ve always had a lot of respect for the captain’s role and I understand what it means,” Punter explained to Sport. He also highlighted the differences between his two experiences: “Being the captain of Partizan was crazy, and here in Barcelona people are a bit different, the culture is different.”
However, Punter does not intend to change his personality because of the new responsibility. “I don’t want to overthink it or try to do something extra, because that’s simply not my personality. I’ll just continue to be who I am and lead the team.”
His role will be particularly important considering Barcelona’s major roster overhaul. “I still have to show the new guys that I need to be a leader, whether physically, verbally, or in any other way. Next to me I have Joel Parra, Dario Brizuela and Juan Nunez. That’s the entire team’s job, without a doubt.”
Punter also stressed the importance of leading by example and helping the newcomers both on and off the court. For the American guard, being captain means being constantly available to support his teammates and helping them understand what it takes to win.