Inside The Rockets

Kevin Durant is Proving He's Still an All-Star, All-NBA Player at 37 Years Old

The Rockets have gotten everything they wanted out of Durant this season.
Jed Katz|
Jan 16, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) reacts while playing against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
Jan 16, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) reacts while playing against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

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Houston Rockets

Kevin Durant's offensive impact on the Houston Rockets has been felt from the jump. The 6-foot-11 sniper has been everything the team needed from him this season, and while Houston has had its fair share of hiccups at this point in the season, Durant has been doing everything to keep it afloat.

The Rockets most recently picked up a 110-105 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night, and it was simply another Durant classic. The Slim Reaper dropped 39 points, four rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block on 11-of-18 shooting from the field.

The Rockets have had turnover issues in the absence of Fred VanVleet, who tore his ACL before the start of the season. They rank 28th in turnover percentage, but they've managed to hold a 24-15 record due to historic offensive rebounding and pure shot making from their stars. Durant is at the forefront of the latter.

The 37-year-old is averaging 26.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game on incredible 52-40-89 shooting splits. If he hits the 50-40-90 Club for the third time in his career, he'd join Steve Nash as the only player with more than two appearances. Nash has an absurd four seasons in the club.

When Houston made the win-now trade to bring in Durant last summer, the hope was that he'd bring a new dimension to the offense and take pressure off the younger players in certain situations. That has been the case thus far. He already has multiple game-tying and go-ahead shots in the clutch, most recently nailing a three-pointer to beat his former team, the Phoenix Suns.

According to inpredictable, Durant is shooting 52.7% from the field in the clutch this season, and 75% in shots crucial to the game. Unfortunately, that's also evidence that the Rockets haven't done enough to back him up in those games, as they have a 9-12 record in clutch games (games within five points in the final five minutes).

Still, Houston is a competitive team hoping to make a deep postseason run, and Durant is proving he's once again an All-Star and All-NBA player. At his age, to still be one of the top players in the world, shows that he's arguably the greatest pure of all time.

The Rockets need to take full advantage of what could be the final chapter of his career. They can't afford to fall short after coming out of the rebuild.

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Jed Katz
JED KATZ

Jed is a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in journalism. He also contributes at several other basketball outlets, including has his own basketball blog and podcast — The Sixth Man Report.

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