Kevin Durant Set to Make Houston Rockets Debut vs. Utah Jazz

At long last, after an offseason full of moves for the Houston Rockets, their biggest one is set to come to fruition tonight. Kevin Durant will make his debut for his new team tonight against the Utah Jazz.

The news was revealed by Durant himself on Kay Adams' show, Up & Adams. The Rockets traded for the 37-year-old in the early offseason in what would eventually be finalized as a league-record seven-team deal.

Kevin Durant confirms that he WILL play in the Rockets preseason game vs. the Jazz on Wednesday @heykayadams | @KDTrey5 | @HoustonRockets pic.twitter.com/rlszp64qGw
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) October 8, 2025

Durant will face a Jazz team struggling through a rebuild. Utah should be a good first test for Houston's newest star, as we are also expecting to see rookie Ace Bailey take the court for his own preseason debut. The 6-foot-8 has drawn comparisons to Durant in his frame and scoring ability.

The Rockets are entering the season with lofty expectations, as they're in title contention. However, despite the promise surrounding Durant joining a young core of Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and more, starting point guard Fred VanVleet with likely miss the entire 2025-26 season with a torn ACL.

Houston will have to figure out how to fill the void at point guard with VanVleet out. Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard and Aaron Holiday are the likely candidates to step up at the one, but the 31-year-old's presence will certainly be missed.

Durant may have seen more playmaking responsibilities tonight and in the future with the team's floor general out. Luckily, Sengun and Thompson are great distributors who know how to find teammates, and it should benefit his scoring.

Last season, the 6-foot-11 scorer averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists on 53-43-84 shooting splits for the Phoenix Suns. They went an abysmal 36-46, but were 3-17 when Durant wasn't on the floor. He still has a clear impact on offense as one of the greatest scorers of all time.

Fans are expecting to see much of Durant in his first preseason game, but it will be interesting to see how he connects with Sengun and the rest of the Rockets early on. The Turkish center has drawn many comparisons to Nikola Jokic with his scoring, rebounding and playmaking abilities. With a go-to bucket-getter in Durant by his side, he should take a lot of weight off Sengun's shoulders.

It was a massive giveaway, but the Rockets still took a risk by trading Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and picks for Durant. If the move pays off, Houston could walk away with a ring in the near future. For now, Houston fans will get an early look at the former MVP in a Rockets uniform tonight against Utah.