The Houston Rockets had a problem when Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun and Reed Sheppard shared the floor in 2025-26, and the numbers made it plain.
Per DataBallr, that trio finished at -4.7 together. Offensively, they held up just fine with a 119.6 Offensive Rating, which was 3.5 better than the team’s overall mark. The trouble came on the other end, where their 124.4 Defensive Rating was 8.2 worse than the team average.
Strip out Durant, and the Sengun-Sheppard pairing still came in negative at -0.9, again because of the defense. Remove Sheppard instead, and Durant and Sengun were solid at +2.0.
Durant and Sheppard without Sengun were even better at +5.5. But when all three were together, the combination never really found any daylight.
That’s the ugly part for Houston: there wasn’t a single positive lineup featuring all three on CleaningTheGlass. The group could score, but it couldn’t get enough stops to make the arrangement work.
Part of the issue is that Durant, in 2025-26, looked more like a neutral defender than the positive force he’s been for most of his career. At 37, that matters.
Ime Udoka’s main answer was to keep Sheppard off the floor more often than not. That’s not a real long-term fix.
Sheppard may end up being a draft bust, but the Rockets are nowhere near having enough information to make that call yet. They need to see more of what he can do.
Marcus Smart could help change the equation. A lineup of Sheppard, Smart, Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr. and Sengun could work, though a lot depends on whether Smart is making threes or not.
Beyond that, the Rockets are left with the same hard questions. Can Udoka build a defense that hides the weak spots while still keeping Durant on the floor?
Can Smart, Thompson, Smith Jr. and Tari Eason cover enough ground if Durant is no longer giving them much on that end? Can Sheppard, who looks bulkier this summer, take a real step defensively?
Can Sengun get back to his 2024-25 level on defense without losing anything offensively?
Those answers aren’t here yet. For now, the hope in Houston is simple: that Sengun, Sheppard and Durant make a much cleaner trio in 2026-27.
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For Houston, the trip adds another layer because Kevin Durant is back in familiar territory. Durant spent his lone college season at Texas before becoming one of the leagues defining stars, so a nationally visible road game in Austin gives the matchup a built-in buzz beyond the usual early-season intrigue. The Spurs have found a way to make these Central Texas dates feel like events, and this one already has the makings of a showcase night. [Read more 🡒]