The Houston Rockets have jumped out to a 4-0 start, and that early success has given Ime Udoka a little breathing room to think bigger picture. With Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson front and center, Houston looks like a team with real upside right now - but it also looks like one that may want to be careful with its biggest name.
Udoka made that point clear during media availability, saying he’d like to ease Durant’s workload a bit as the season goes on.
“We’ve said it. We’d like to shave all the guys’ minutes down… The more we can rest Kevin and not have to rely on him to come back in the game and kind of sustain our offense, I think we're much better equipped to do that this year.
So he should come down some. It's hard to take a man off the court because of all the good things he does.
But you have Tari, you have Jabari, you have different guys that can do that as well.”
Durant has been Houston’s most proven weapon so far. At 38, he’s averaging 23.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists while logging 35.3 minutes per game. He also comes in fresh off an All-NBA Second Team selection, which only reinforces why he remains such a central piece for the Rockets.
Still, this team has already shown signs that the load doesn’t have to fall on Durant alone. Thompson’s game-winning block against Victor Wembanyama last weekend was one of the early-season highlights, Sengun is putting up 24.5 points per game, and Jabari Smith Jr. opened the year with a 30-point outing.
There’s also a long view here. Durant, who is 38 and has a player option for next season, gives Houston reason to be mindful of how much it leans on him before the games matter most. He played 78 games last season, but his injury in the Rockets’ first-round playoff series with the Los Angeles Lakers was a contact issue after he stepped on another player’s foot, not something rest would have solved.
For now, the Rockets’ perfect start has created the kind of cushion that could allow Udoka to trim Durant’s minutes in lopsided games without changing the outcome. In tighter matchups, like the one against the San Antonio Spurs, there hasn’t been a clear basketball reason to cut back on the 16-time All-Star yet.
And that’s the balancing act Houston is already facing: keep Durant on the floor because he’s still one of the league’s best, but keep an eye on the 82-game grind with the playoffs in mind.
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Adams has already had his availability questioned because of his injury history, and the Rockets are now left to sort through a stretch that tests their depth more than they probably expected. The timetable points to a return sometime between the Celtics game on Nov. 2 and the Nuggets game on Nov. 9, but for Houston the bigger issue is how long it can keep its interior plan intact before the holes start to show. [Read more 🡒]
Kyrie Irving's Future Is Back In The Spotlight For Mavericks Fans
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The twist is that the path to Irving is being framed less as a simple rumor and more as a possible chain reaction involving Dallas, which is why the Mavericks remain a key part of the backdrop. If Irving pushes for an exit, Houston would be one of the teams watching closely, with the concept of a reunion with Durant giving the whole idea an extra layer of appeal and a lot of unresolved questions about how such a move would actually come together. [Read more 🡒]