Yahoo Sports Tabs Kevin Durant as Rockets' Midseason MVP

It's hard to argue with the pick.

Jan 23, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) moves the ball up court against the Detroit Pistons during the first half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images | David Reginek-Imagn Images

Kevin Durant is defying father time. He's long been regarded as one of the game's greatest scorers of all-time. 

He ranks sixth all-time in scoring, having iust passed NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki, and will likely pass Michael Jordan this season for fifth all-time. 

He also ranks seventh in postseason scoring.

Durant is also one of the game's most efficient scorers, as he boasts a career 62.1 true shooting average, which ranks 12th.

This season, he's shown no signs of regression. There were concerns that the Houston Rockets would see slippage after trading for him last summer.

He's clearly not slowing down.

In fact, he's carried the Rockets on most nights, having already amassed 16 30-point games on the year. He also bails the Rockets out on many offensive possessions, oftentimes with a contested shot that he drills.

Which, in many cases, can be coined or viewed as a bad shot.

The definition of that varies from person to person. 

Durant has taken on a chunk of the Rockets' playmaking, in light of Fred VanVleet's season-altering (and likely season-ending) ACL tear.

All told, he's averaging 26.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, roughly two stocks on defense, 51.6 percent from the field, 40.6 percent from three-point range, 88.5 percent from the free throw line, 58 percent effective field goal percentage and 63.6 percent true shooting.

Kevin Durant Selected as Rockets' Midseason MVP

Yahoo Sports senior NBA writer Ben Rohrbach compiled a team-by-team assessment at the midway point of the season and listed Durant as the Rockets' MVP thus far.

Which shouldn't be all that much of a surprise.

Again, the Rockets have rode his coat tail, so much that they've drawn criticism for leaning too heavily on him. That's not by design, however.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka has made that clear.

"You took a 37-year-old out of the game for 2 minutes, and you lost a 13-point lead. 11-0 run. The fact that we have to really on a 37 year old is a problem."

Udoka's comments came after the Rockets' second loss to the Portland Trail Blazers earlier in the month.

Durant is a safe pick for midseason MVP.