The Rockets May See A Better Version of Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant's first season with the Houston Rockets was excellent, but he still hasn't shown the peak of what he can be for this team.

Apr 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) is defended by Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) as he drives to the basket during the second half of game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets are moving forward, expecting to take another step next season without making a major move for another star. Obviously, if a deal appears the front office can't refuse, the team could look majorly different heading into next season. However, the Rockets have maintained that they like what they have, especially with what they're still getting from Kevin Durant.

Durant has held up his end of the bargain after the trade to Houston. He is an elite shot maker, he is efficient, and he draws a lot of attention from opposing defenses. Unfortunately for the Rockets, the extra attention on Durant made things difficult for his role this season as an on-ball creator for the rest of the team.

Since playmaking for others isn't his natural role, improvement by Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard, along with the return of Fred VanVleet, should help Durant reach his peak self with the Rockets.

Durant's archetype has never been suited to be a ball dominant No. 1 option who demands the ball to start every possession. Durant is better when actions around the court lead to him receiving the ball in a spot he can quickly do damage. Like the deadliest mid-range scorers of all time, he thrives off of triple-threat moves before his attack, and one-to-two dribbles before rising for a shot.

He can't do either of these things when he has to dribble from the top of the key. That action is more suited for the guards and ball handlers on the team, but those players must improve significantly to truly bring out the best from Durant.

VanVleet is a quality lead guard who takes care of the ball. His assist numbers may not jump off the page, but the ability to maintain possessions and secure the ball was lost from the Rockets this season.

Growth from Thompson and Sheppard should support that, and more efficient shooting from Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason should alleviate the pressure on Houston's ball handlers.

The return of Steven Adams should help as well, creating extra possessions with his offensive rebounding. Each of these elements should help Durant be able to focus more on scoring, and less on the elements the rest of the Rockets are on the team to address.

The Rockets have the team construction to still get the best version of Durant as he navigates his twilight years of his NBA career. Improvement is required from the young players to get that version, but the Rockets fully believe they'll see much better play across the board next season.