Kevin Durant can still bend a defense with a single pull-up, a quick rise, or a shot from a spot most players shouldn’t even consider. That’s the gift. The problem is that it can also become the trap.
In the Rockets’ second straight loss to the Suns, Durant finished with 21 points but went just 5-of-14 from the floor. The night was a reminder that his appetite for difficult shots is both one of his greatest strengths and one of the reasons Houston can get stuck offensively when those looks stop dropping.
The shot profile told the story. Durant took only three attempts in the paint and just two at the rim.
The rest of his night was built mostly on 3-pointers, where he went 1-of-7, and contested midrange chances. He can make those shots.
That’s never been the issue. But as he’s gotten older, leaning on them instead of hunting easier ones has too often limited what his offense can become.
There was a stretch earlier this season when it looked like Durant might be trending in a better direction. Houston’s shooting and defense helped open the floor, and Durant even had a few games with multiple dunks - usually a good sign that the Rockets were rolling. But that rim pressure hasn’t held steady, especially as his shot volume has bounced around.
That matters because Houston needs more from him than just shot-making. If Durant commits to attacking the rim more often, he can function as a true offensive hub instead of mostly a finisher. The Rockets don’t have the kind of dynamic guards who can repeatedly create paint touches and spray the ball out to shooters, so that burden falls naturally on their best scorer.
Alperen Sengun gives Houston something different, but not quite the same. He can get the ball into the paint through post-ups, yet defenses don’t have to collapse on him the way they would when a perimeter scorer turns the corner and forces help. That keeps a cap on how much playmaking he can unlock.
Durant is the obvious player to drive this offense. He can score from anywhere, and that alone should make him the engine.
But when he chooses the midrange over the drive, defenses don’t have to fully crack open around him. They can live with a tougher jumper and move on.
Sometimes he buries it anyway, and the defense is left shaking its head. But when the shot isn’t falling, Houston feels the downside immediately. Durant isn’t creating the easier looks for himself or for everyone else around him, and that’s where the Rockets lose ground.
For a team with bigger goals, that difference can loom large.
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Rockets Fans Just Got Another Reminder Of Sam Cassells Respect Around NBA
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For Rockets fans, the renewed discussion is another reminder of how widely Cassell is respected around the league and how long his coaching path has stayed just out of reach. Scott also tied Cassells situation to a broader pattern of Black coaches being passed over for head coaching opportunities, a point that only adds more weight to the fact that Cassell has continued to draw praise without yet landing the kind of opening many around the league believe he has earned. [Read more 🡒]