Kevin Durant, ladies and gentlemen….you know who he is.
Arguably, the most prolific scorer in the league is now in Houston and here to stay. When this news became official in June, it was hard not to picture a title coming through H-Town at some point in the near future.
But now that the season has started, what should Rocket fans really expect from their team this year?
The Houston Rockets began their season against reigning MVP, Shai Gilgeous Alexander and the champions in Oklahoma City. While the Thunder played stellar ball the Rockets were right there forcing a double overtime, setting the tone for a promising NBA season overall. However, even with extra time, Kevin Durant only dropped 23 points in the loss.
Later that week, the Rockets held their season opener against the ascending Detroit Pistons. KD was heavily welcomed by the fans and reciprocated the love, finishing the night with 37. Houston didn’t get their first win of the season until this past Monday against the rebuilding Nets where Durant tallied 19 points.
With a sample size of three games, there are some things that are abundantly clear with the Rockets’ style of play and Coach Ime Udoka’s vision for the team.
Most notably being that the arrival of Kevin Durant is not going to hinder the development of the young talent already here.
Watching these 3 games it is not hard to see center, Alperen Sengun is the focal point of the team. Essentially playing “point center” because there is no “point guard” to be found in Houston yet the offense runs through him.
Guard, and everyone’s favorite twin, Amen Thompson is not taking a backslide either. In the season opener he was the go to bucket-getter in the clutch. While still raw offensively, his bag and finishing skills proved to be convincingly efficient.
Forwards Jabari Smith and Tari Eason are rising as threats as well, both showing themselves to be consistent scorers and noteworthy pieces to the offense. Can’t forget the rebounding and interior defense added with a healthy Steven Adams and the return of Clint Capella.
The results from last season proved that something was already brewing in Houston when they finished as the second seed in the West. What that means is that Kevin Durant’s fit for this team is to not come and save the day but to add to the pot of what is already being cooked.
While it hasn’t been consistently proven, the potential of Alperen and Amen has not been scratched yet. Which is why the offense is running through them, don’t expect the ball to go through KD at this current time.
Heck, don’t even expect KD to touch the ball on every possession.
There might be a game or two where we do see the Kevin Durant everyone is accustomed to, but for the first time in our lives, he is not the main option. So it’s safe to expect a slow but healthy immersion of him on the court.
This method, in the long run, will turn out to be beneficial because this forces all defenses to respect everyone on the court as a game-changing threat. If Sengun and Thompson grow to be three level scorers as well as consistent clutch players, this will force opponents to pick their poison.
It’s even better because they all bring something different to the table.
Amen and Sengun can get triple-doubles for completely different reasons, once a guard is acquired Steven Adams and Clint Capella demand respect as lob threats in the pick and roll, and teams can help off of Jabari and Tari if they want to but I doubt that’ll prove to be a winning method.
Unlike his most recent tenures, Kevin Durant is finally a part of a team where his role is minimized and controlled in the best way possible. While a consistent 30-piece is achievable and always appreciated, that won’t bring the Rockets to their highest heights this season.
Don’t just expect, but look forward to a joint effort, and a healthy dosage of this whole Houston roster.
Delivered by Le’Raun Peron
