Kevin Durant didn’t sound like a player dwelling on what might have been. Instead, he framed Houston’s first-round exit against the Los Angeles Lakers as the kind of postseason lesson a young team has to take head-on.
The Rockets rolled through the 2025-2026 regular season with a 52-30 record, but their title chase ended in the opening round. Durant was already out for Game 1 because of a knee injury he dealt with before the postseason, then an ankle injury in Game 2 kept the 16-time All-Star out for most of the series.
At Rockets media day, Durant said he was nowhere near a return against the Lakers. He also pushed back on the idea that Houston was in an awkward spot without him, Steven Adams, or Fred VanVleet available.
“I couldn’t play. It was hard for me to run up and down the court… I don’t think basketball can put you in an uncomfortable position.
You’re either going to learn from it or not. I think that the position they were put in in the playoffs was exactly what they needed to go through.”
Asked again about the value of that experience, Durant doubled down on the point.
“Most definitely. There are players that play in this league for 12, 13 years that never played in a playoff series.
That intensity, playing against the same team for a week, that’s important. It’s only going to make you better as a player to understand that intensity, the most pressure and the most expectations on you as an individual player.”
Houston had to lean heavily on its young talent with Durant sidelined. Alperen Sengun put up 20.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, while Amen Thompson added 19.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game.
The Rockets’ long-term outlook still looks tied to that young core. Sengun, now a second straight All-Star, averaged 6.2 assists per game last season, which ranked second among centers behind only Nikola Jokic.
Thompson has also kept climbing. He recently signed a five-year, $208 million extension with Houston and finished in the top 10 in Defensive Player of the Year voting for the second year in a row.
Durant has not made a final decision on his player option for the 2027-2028 season, but the Rockets are expected to keep building around Sengun and Thompson as they try to climb back up the Western Conference standings. The next few months should bring a clearer picture of just how high this group can go.
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Amen Thompson Faces Bigger Rockets Expectations After One Painful Snub
Amen Thompson walked into Rockets media day carrying the weight that comes with a five-year, $208 million extension, and he didnt sound interested in treating it like a finish line. The young wing talked about sharing a major contract milestone with his brother Ausar, who signed a similar deal with the Pistons, and about what the new money means in practical terms as much as professionally. For Houston, the larger point is obvious: the organization is paying for the kind of two-way growth that can help turn a promising core into something far more dangerous.
Thompson also framed the conversation around what still has to come next, with his focus fixed on sharpening his defense and chasing a championship in the 2026-27 season. He discussed the disappointment of falling short of All-Defensive recognition and the motivation that comes with being overlooked, while also offering a few personal details about how life has changed since the extension. It all adds up to a reminder that the Rockets are no longer talking about Thompson as a breakthrough story, but as a player expected to meet a much higher standard. [Read more 🡒]
Fred VanVleets Return Could Change Everything For Houstons Offense
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VanVleets presence matters here beyond just another healthy body. Houston has been looking for steadier leadership, cleaner ball-handling and better late-game execution, and those are exactly the areas where he can change the feel of a possession and, by extension, a close game. There is still a short runway before the season starts, but the expectation around camp is that he will be out there when the preseason begins, which gives the Rockets an early chance to see how much smoother things look with him back steering the offense. [Read more 🡒]
Rockets Rookie Already Sees What Makes Kevin Durant So Different
Bruce Thornton did not need long to understand why Kevin Durant still commands so much attention around the Rockets. During media day, the rookie described Durants shooting and leadership as impressive, a reminder that Houston is adding far more than a high-end scorer as it prepares for the 2026-27 season. Thornton, taken 31st overall in 2026, arrives with a strong Summer League showing and a real chance to earn a backcourt role if he can carve out space in a deep rotation.
The challenge for Thornton is that Houstons roster strength also makes opportunity hard to come by, especially in the backcourt where minutes will be competitive from the start. Even so, working alongside Durant offers a useful early lesson for a young guard trying to stick in the league, and it gives the Rockets another sign that their newest piece is already paying attention to the standard being set around him. [Read more 🡒]