All-Star Kevin Durant Praises Rockets

Phoenix Suns All-Star forward Kevin Durant had some kind words for the Houston Rockets.

Feb 12, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) dribbles against Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (9) in the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets have surprised many over the course of the first half of the season, going 34-21 through the first 55 games and earning the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.

They still have a long way to go, but the foundation is in place for the team to be good for this season and beyond.

Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant sees the growth from the Rockets and acknowledged it after Houston beat Phoenix at the Toyota Center.

“I got mad respect for teams like this who are struggling for a few years, draft young, get a coach that holds them accountable, holds them to a standard and they start to take off,” Durant said via Sports Radio 610 reporter Adam Spolane.

“I appreciate that because we were a young team when I was coming into the league like that and I know how hard it is to change a mentality from, we might go home in April every year to now we're in the playoffs. You can tell throughout the season, this team has built confidence. But, you know, they get a little bit comfortable, too. They lose five or six in a row because they're happy and they playing well but then see coach snap them back into it."

Durant also recognizes the hunger on the roster to be a great team together, and sees how important that can be for a franchise.

"These guys just want to be great, man," Durant said.

"You in the gym all summer and you playing pickup, you go back from pickup to lifting weights to come back the next morning and do the same thing, you know it's gonna pay off at a certain point. So what I took from them is that the work ethic, attention to detail."

Perhaps Durant will consider this when the offseason comes and he has a little bit of say as to where he could be traded next, especially since the Rockets have the Suns' future draft capital and make the most sense as a potential trade partner for the team down the line.

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