Rockets Deemed too Reliant on Kevin Durant

Is it true?

Jan 18, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) shakes hands with head coach Ime Udoka after leaving the game against the New Orleans Pelicans during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets have gotten everything they could've wanted (or reasonably expected) out of Kevin Durant. When last summer's trade was executed with the Phoenix Suns, questions arose regarding Durant’s durability and availability. 

Rightfully so, as Durant has played 65 games (the league's mandate for honors and accolades) once in the last six years.

Not to mention his age (Durant turned 37 years old in September) and Durant’s past injury history. 

Durant has played 38 of Houston's 40 games thus far in the 2025-26 season. The two games that he missed weren't injury-related, however.

They were due to personal reasons, which prompted speculation as to what could have been going on.

(As a side note, we don't need to know the specifics of what athletes experience in their personal lives.

They don't owe us an explanation.)

Durant has played 36.5 minutes per night this season -- the second-highest number since the 2013-14 season. 

He ranks second on the Rockets in minutes, behind only Amen Thompson, who is 23-years-old.

And there's not much of a gap, as Thompson averages 37.1 minutes. 

Durant is averaging 26.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 51 percent from the field, 39.3 percent from three, 88.7 percent from the foul line, 57 percent effective shooting and 62.9 percent true shooting.

He's having an All-Star season. Better yet, an All-NBA season. 

The Rockets are 8-6 when Durant scores 30 or more points. 

He bails the team out of offensive possessions time and time again.

But do the Rockets depend on him too much?

Law Murray of The Athletic says so.

"The Rockets aren’t being discussed as a contender anymore. They’re far too reliant on Durant, who was drafted in 2007. But Durant has been a big lift for the Rockets, a team that looks lost without him in the lineup."

Murray compiled his power rankings and put the Rockets in the tier of teams that are in a good place, alongside the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

He listed Houston as the sixth-best team in the NBA and fourth-best team in the Western Conference. 

As it pertains to Houston's over-reliance on Durant, Rockets coach Ime Udoka agrees, which he stated after Houston's recent loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. 

"The fact that we have to rely on a 37-year-old for 40-plus minutes is a problem."