Kevin Durant’s age hasn’t changed the conversation around his game nearly as much as his game has changed the conversation about age.
That’s the view from Houston Rockets legend Ralph Sampson, who sees Durant as the kind of player whose skill set can carry him well beyond what most stars manage. Speaking to Kyle Odegard of Action Network, Sampson said Durant still has the kind of offensive package that should keep him effective deep into his career.
“Kevin Durant, I love him to death. He can play in today's game for a whole lot more years as long as he stays healthy.
He's a Hall of Fame player. I love the way he plays, and I love to go see him play.
He can play for as long as he wants.”
Durant backed up that praise in his first season with Houston. In the 2025-26 regular season, the 16-time All-Star played 78 games and averaged 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists while shooting 52.0% from the field, 41.3% from 3-point range and 87.4% from the free-throw line. That production earned him All-NBA Second Team honors, the 12th All-NBA selection of his career.
The Rockets forward will now enter his 20th NBA season in 2026-27 after finishing his 19th last year. He turned 38 on Sept. 29, but the numbers suggest the same efficient scorer he’s been since the Seattle SuperSonics took him No. 2 overall in the 2007 NBA Draft is still very much intact.
Sampson believes the key is simple: Durant’s shooting has always aged well.
“He's had that (shooting ability) for life. The game has evolved, and its style fits him.”
The statistical case is pretty striking. Durant has averaged at least 25 points while shooting 50% from the field and 40% from 3-point range in each of the past four seasons, a run no other player has matched more than three times in an entire career.
Houston is hoping that kind of production helps fuel a bigger playoff run after going 52-30 last season and then falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the first round.
For Sampson, though, the biggest swing factor isn’t Durant’s scoring or age. It’s whether the Rockets can stay on the floor.
“We'll see if they get healthy. If they do, I think they can compete, but you've got to be healthy.”
If that part falls into place, Sampson believes Houston has the kind of star who can keep rolling for a long time. And as far as Durant’s career goes, the Hall of Fame center doesn’t sound like he sees a finish line anytime soon.
In Other News...
Rockets Face One Big Question Around Kevin Durants Supporting Cast
Rafael Stone sounded encouraged about where the Rockets are headed, especially with Kevin Durant now in the mix and a young core still forming around him. The GM pointed to the value of that youth, the importance of health when the games matter most, and a roster-building approach that leans into the energy and development already in place. Houstons preseason debut offered an early snapshot of how it might look, with Tari Eason, Fred VanVleet, Alperen Sengun and Durant all making their presence felt in a win over Dallas.
The bigger issue is how all of that comes together once the stakes rise and the supporting cast has to do more than just flash in spurts. Stone has been clear that the organization is trying to build in a way that fits its current personnel, but the real test will be whether the Rockets can keep enough balance around Durant to make a deep playoff run. For now, the optimism is easy to understand. The hard part is still figuring out how far this group can go when the season starts to ask more of everyone around its biggest name. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin Durant Gives The Rockets A Delicate Problem To Solve
Kevin Durant is in his 20th NBA season now, and the age checkpoint alone would normally invite a conversation about easing a veteran into a lighter workload. Instead, the early read from his career numbers is the opposite: even after recently turning 38, Durant still looks like one of the leagues steadiest offensive players, the kind whose production has held up so well that Houston has a real decision to make about how carefully to manage him.
For the Rockets, the delicate part is figuring out how to balance long-term caution with what Durant still brings every night. His role and minutes are going to matter all season, especially with a player of his stature and mileage, and the team now has to sort through how to preserve him without stripping away the rhythm that has defined so much of his game. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin Durant Had An Emotional Reaction To Russell Westbrooks Exit
Russell Westbrooks announcement that his playing career is over landed with plenty of reaction around the league, but Kevin Durants response stood out for how personal it felt. Durant said he was sad to hear the news and spoke glowingly about what Westbrook has meant as a player, a fitting reflection from someone who spent years alongside him and saw firsthand how electric he could be when he was at his best.
Westbrooks exit also leaves open the broader conversation around his place in the game and whether this is truly the final chapter. Zach Randolph suggested Westbrook might still find a way back, and the emotions around the announcement showed how much respect he still commands from former teammates and peers. For Houston fans who watched Durants career unfold from afar and now know how closely these stars have been tied together, it was another reminder of how quickly the league can turn a familiar face into a memory. [Read more 🡒]