Kevin Durant Praises Rockets Teammate Amen Thompson, Talks Strengths

Houston's newest superstar gave praise to his younger teammate, breaking down his strengths as a do-it-all wing.

Sep 29, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) and forward Amen Thompson (1) and center Alperen Sengun (28) talk during Houston Rockets media day at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Undoubtedly, the most exciting aspect of the Houston Rockets' 2025-26 campaign will be seeing how Kevin Durant meshes with the young core. One of the greatest scorers of all time will make his debut in Houston on a team that has a solid chance of winning it all this season.

After years of rebuilding and drafting young talent, the Rockets finally saw that come to fruition last season, going 52-30 and shocking the NBA world. They suffered a first-round upset in the playoffs, but it was necessary experience for the future.

This offseason, Houston built on that early success with the win-now trade to acquire Durant. The organization supplemented that by acquiring other veterans, such as Dorian Finney-Smith, Clint Capela and Josh Okogie.

At 37 years old, this will likely be Durant's last team before retirement. On Rockets' Media Day, he said that he sees himself signing an extension with the franchise, which could push him to 39 if he decides to call it quits after that. But he's still one of the best scorers in the league, and is showing little to no signs of slowing down entering year 19.

The 6-foot-10 scorer will form a trio with Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson this season. Thompson, in particular, will be a major asset for Durant, with Fred VanVleet likely to miss the season due to an ACL tear.

On Media Day, Durant offered high praise to his new teammate in Houston. He talked about what makes Thompson so unique, even in today's NBA. The 6-foot-7 wing has continuously been called a Swiss Army knife due to his do-it-all play style.

Kevin Durant gave extremely high praise to his new Houston Rockets teammate Amen Thompson:

“Amen being just a do-everything, 6’7” freak-of-nature. I don’t think we’ve ever seen that type of athleticism in our league.”

Agree or disagree with KD? 🤔🚀 pic.twitter.com/fKw85gHOXE

— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) September 30, 2025

“Amen being just a do-everything, 6’7” freak-of-nature," Durant said. "I don’t think we’ve ever seen that type of athleticism in our league."

Last season, Thompson took a major leap as the Rockets found regular-season success. He averaged 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.4 steals per game as Houston's main point-of-attack defender. On the offensive side, Thompson meshed well off the ball alongside Sengun and Jalen Green, but had multiple 20-point performances in the playoffs.

The 22-year-old will bear more playmaking responsibilities with VanVleet out, as head coach Ime Udoka noted that Houston will use a committee at point guard. He is once again a tertiary scoring option, but instead of Green as the primary bucket-getter, it's Durant, a much more efficient and consistent player. Thompson should benefit from that as his role increases.

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