The Houston Rockets took a step toward title contention after acquiring Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns in June.
Houston made the playoffs for the first time since 2020 last season, blending young talent with veteran leadership. However, the team fell to the Golden State Warriors in a seven-game first-round series after finishing the regular season with a 52-30 record, placing second in a stacked Western Conference.
Following their postseason loss, the Rockets took a huge swing and acquired Durant in a historic seven-team trade, notably giving up Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and draft capital. Now, they’ll look to go on a deep playoff run in a star-studded West.
Kevin Durant could thrive in Houston
Ex-NBA player Patrick Beverley discussed Durant’s fit within Houston’s offensive scheme in a recent episode of The Pat Bev Pod, predicting his role in the offense and how the team’s strong offensive rebounding will play to Durant’s skillset.
“I think that he’s going to have a lot of freedom,” Beverley said. “I think he’ll get a ton of open shots. I think a lot of people don’t understand the offensive rebounding that Houston has — those guys, Steven Adams, [Alperen] Sengun, those wings, they offensive rebound so well he’s going to have a lot of offensive rebound kick-out threes. … You can take the ball out of Fred [VanVleet’s] hands a little bit and put him on the wing, let KD bring it up at times… they got a lot of weapons.”
Can the Rockets make some noise this season? pic.twitter.com/0dwn6uYAGg
— Pat Bev Pod (@PatBevPod) August 19, 2025
The Rockets bolstered their frontcourt by reuniting with Clint Capela this offseason, adding to an already strong center group of Sengun and Adams. To Beverley’s point, that should create plenty of opportunities for second-chance points.
Despite trading away Green, the team still has an abundance of talented young players, including Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith, Tari Eason and Reed Sheppard. With plenty of youth alongside veterans like Durant, VanVleet, Adams, Capela, and Dorian Finney-Smith, Houston has a legitimate shot to compete for a title this season.
