The Houston Rockets were in the top-5 in the league in terms of defense last season. However, their offense was simply not up to the mark, and that weak link was exposed in the first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors. Their offence simply lacked the teeth, especially in the half-court. And they went all in to fix that issue in the offseason.
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The Rockets were involved in the largest trade in NBA history, with at least 13 players and seven teams involved. All because they wanted to sign Kevin Durant, a scoring behemoth.
The four-time scoring champion and the 8th leading scorer in NBA history is believed to be the final piece of the puzzle. Durant is expected to elevate the Rockets’ setup, which revolves around young stars like Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and Reed Sheppard.
While the two-time champion’s proven pedigree makes him a dream signing for any team, let us not forget that Durant will be 37 by the time the new season begins. And even though the two-time Finals MVP was still ranking in the top 6 in scoring over the last couple of seasons, questions about his ‘waning’ abilities have been raised.
However, Sports Illustrated‘s Chris Mannix believes it’s still a “round peg, round hole” situation while discussing KD and the Rockets with veteran analyst Rachel Nichols, who concurred that the Rockets-Durant marriage will do wonders for the team.
“I love it,” Nichols said, adding she met the former MVP some days ago and talked about how he was fitting in at Houston.
“He was more excited and energized than I have seen him in a while. And that is great news because an energized and engaged Kevin Durant is a very dangerous Kevin Durant and just fun for the rest of us to watch,” Nichols revealed.
Calling it a “hand in glove” situation, Nichols added that it wasn’t just about what Durant could do for the Rockets as a scorer.
“It is the gravity that he pulls. I think we constantly underestimate that. If you are Sengun or if you are some of these other guys, you’re not getting the opponent’s best defender in the clutch. It’s not happening. That person is going to Kevin. I think that is going to create more offense for a team that lacks so much offense,” added Nichols.
Both Nichols and Mannix asserted that since Durant has already worked with Rockets head coach Ime Udoka when he was an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets, building a bond would be that much easier. Mannix was also more than happy to remind viewers that even at his, Durant was still the best scorer in the league.
“He averaged 27 points per game last year and shot 43% from 3. That’s the best percentage he’s had in his career in a full season,” added Mannix, noting that he did it while playing with the Phoenix Suns.
The Rockets will become the third team Durant has played for since 2019. And amazingly, this would be the first team in the last five or six years where he has enough players around who can allow him to just go ahead and do his thing without shouldering the burden of the entire squad.
With Sengun coming off an awesome EuroBasket and Amen Thompson expected to become an All-Star this season, the burden on Durant would be that much less. The Rockets indeed have a deep squad with game winners aplenty.
So Durant will have a lot of space and opportunity to be the cherry on top. Hopefully, he doesn’t get injured. And we may finally see the Rockets contending till the very end.
