Which Houston Rockets Could Take Home Hardware in 2025-26

While the Rockets are poised for championship contention, which players could earn individual accolades in the process?

Apr 28, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Houston Rockets forward/guard Amen Thompson (1) gestures to teammates between plays against the Golden State Warriors during the third quarter of game four of the 2025 NBA Playoffs first round at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets are fresh off a 52-30 season in which they returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2019-2020. Young stars Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun were at the forefront of the success, and will look to lead the team next season as well. In addition, Houston traded for future Hall-of-Famer Kevin Durant, even further improving their chances for a potential championship run.

While the hunt for the Larry O' Brien will certainly be the top priority, a successful team season would be fueled by stellar individual play as well. With said strong play, which Rockets could find themselves in the race for an individual award in the 2025-2026 season.

Amen Thompson

Most Improved Player

The third-year point-forward already had somewhat of a breakout campaign in 2024-2025, finishing No. 7 in the Most Improved Player voting poll. He averaged 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, emerging as one of the league's most unique offensive players.

His alien-like athleticism was used on both sides of the court, as he flew around the court making plays on the ball and locking down scorers from every position. His athleticism is unmatched, but offense still needs refining.

Should Thompson increase his 3-point shooting from 27.5 percent on 1.3 attempts per game to the low 30s on roughly three attempts per game, his offensive game tremendously expands. He could rise from a defensive superstar, to a two-way star on an elite team, putting himself in position to close in on the Most Improved Player award.

Kevin Durant

Cutch Player of the Year

Durant's one of the leagues premiere scorers –– no doubt about it. The Rockets' primary issue in the playoffs last season was closing games in grind-it-out, halfcourt settings. Durant, who's averaged over 25 points per game for his last 16 seasons, steps in as the team's first option to go to in crunch time.

He'll have ample opportunity to take and make big shots down the closing stretch of games as the top option. The Rockets will also be in the spotlight plenty this season, as they play 28 games on national television –– putting all eyes on

Over his career, Durant averaged 5.8 points per fourth quarter while holding 49.5 / 39.3 / 87.2 shooting splits. Should he keep similar averages next season, Durant puts himself in primary position to win Clutch Player of the Year.