What More Can Kevin Durant Do For The Rockets?

Houston's future Hall-of-Famer has brought plenty of experience to the court, as well as to his young teammates. Can he bring more to the team to help the Rockets elevate into contention?

Apr 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) looks on from the court in the second half of game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Last offseason, the Houston Rockets made a move they hoped would be the finishing touch on their rebuild by acquring Kevin Durant in a trade that key figures in the rebuild, Jalen Grenn and Dillon Brooks, to Phoenix. The Rockets didn't reach their potential in the first year of the Durant era, despite the future Hall-of-Famer holding his end of the bargain.

With a likely limited tenure with the Rockets, Durant and the Rockets must find a way to maximize the opportunity they have to elevate to the contention level of teams in the NBA.

When Durant arrived to the Rockets, he arrived to a team he likely believed had the ability to perform independently and wouldn't require him to play hero ball to stay competitive.

However, Durant hero ball was one of the few redeemable offensive qualities the Rockets had against playoff-caliber defenses. The offense of players like Amen Thompson, Alperen Şengün, and Reed Sheppard were limited against elite, high-pressure defense, requiring Durant to carry a significant portion of the offensive load.

This led to Durant being on an island against pressure, double-teams, and traps that he couldn't navigate as well as a legitimate lead ball handler. His teammates like Thompson and Sheppard couldn't relieve the pressure with their handling, and Şengün struggled to perform at his usual level offensively. These players would sometimes not even seek their own offense, and instead seek Durant to bail them out of difficult offensive possessions.

While some Rockets had diminishing confidence and preferred to defer, Jabari Smith Jr. actually gained confidence as his postseason performance was one of the highlights of this year's playoffs.

Smith Jr. has a skill set that benefits most from Durant's influence and teaching. The knowledge to take one or two dribbles to get to an advantageous spot serves Smith Jr.'s abilities well.

Smith Jr. is not a player who will become the best or second best player on a championship caliber team, but his improving performance could make him a valuable piece on a quality roster if he has the support from the stars ahead of him in the pecking order offensively.

Durant's influence on the team could empower the rest of the young players to take on bigger roles, making Durant's own game a more valuable and impactful piece of the puzzle. The next phase of the Rockets requires improvement from the young players to support Durant, and his value as a leader and a teacher could be what elevates the Rockets to the next level.