Before the Texas Longhorns and Ohio State Buckeyes kicked off, Kevin Durant ended up stealing a little bit of the pregame spotlight.
The Longhorns alumnus was given access near the field, and he didn’t waste it. Instead of just soaking in the scene, Durant got in some throws on the sideline and showed off a football side that caught people off guard.
Nate Tice was among those impressed, saying, “Kevin Durant actually has a proper motion cause of course,” while Kyle A. Madson reacted to the reception with, “The one-handed catch was insane lmao.”
Durant’s form looked smooth enough to make people do a double take. At nearly 7 feet, though, he would’ve had a tough time as a quarterback because it would be hard for him to hide from defenses with that kind of size. Still, there are tall passers in the game now, including Josh Herbert and Trevor Lawrence, both listed at 6-foot-6.
The soon-to-be 38-year-old is originally from Washington, D.C., but his basketball path has already taken him to Texas twice. He played college ball there, and now he’s with Houston. Even so, there are already whispers that his time with the Rockets may not last forever.
Houston went out in the first round of the playoffs last season against a Doncic-less Lakers team, and that has only added to the uncertainty around Durant’s future. There’s no clear answer yet on whether he could be on the move again in 2027, but the Miami Heat are reportedly one team interested in him. Any deal to get him out of Houston would come at a steep cost for Miami, though in today’s NBA, just about anyone can be moved if the price is right.
In Other News...
Rockets Fans Can Already Circle The Games That Will Define October
The calendar is already giving Rockets fans a clear sense of how October will unfold, with Media Day set for Sept. 22, training camp opening the next day and a preseason that starts to sharpen the edges quickly. Houston has three exhibition games before the games start counting, including a home date with the Thunder on Oct. 15, and then the real thing arrives Oct. 21 when the Mavericks come to town to open the regular season.
From there, the Rockets move straight into the kind of month that can shape early expectations, with NBA Cup play beginning Oct. 30 and a schedule dotted with matchups against the Suns and several meetings with the Spurs. There are bigger markers later in the year too, with All-Star weekend set for Feb. 19-21 and the trade deadline on Feb. 11, but for Houston the first real test is simply surviving that opening stretch and seeing where the team stands once the dust settles. [Read more 🡒]
Jabari Smith Jr. Is Giving Rockets Fans A Bigger Long-Term Debate
Jabari Smith Jr. has settled into the kind of profile the Rockets hoped for when they made him a cornerstone piece: a 23-year-old power forward coming off a season in which he averaged 15.8 points and 6.9 rebounds over 77 games. With a contract running through 2030, he is already part of Houstons long-term picture, and the mix of size, durability and defensive value he brings makes him one of the more reliable young pieces on the roster.
The debate now is less about whether Smith belongs in the Rockets future and more about how high his ceiling can climb from here. His rank among the leagues top power forwards for the 2026-2027 season reflects how far he has come, but it also underscores the unfinished parts of his game that still shape his next step. For Houston, the question is whether those improvements come soon enough to match the teams broader ambitions. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin Durant Faces One Pressure That Could Define Houston's Season
Kevin Durant arrives in Houston with a very specific kind of pressure, one that has less to do with nightly scoring binges and more to do with availability, timing and trust. For the Rockets, the plan is not just to add another star name to the roster but to get a steady, veteran presence who can keep the group on track over the grind of the season and into the postseason, where his value is supposed to be felt most.
The rest of the setup matters just as much. Houston expects veteran help around Durant and needs its young core to keep growing so the team can stay in the mix for one of the Wests top spots. But the real test will come late, when possessions tighten and the Rockets need someone who can settle games down, take the biggest shots and still be standing when the playoffs begin. [Read more 🡒]