The Houston Rockets acquired Kevin Durant in a trade from the Phoenix Suns in the offseason. Houston knew they needed to trade for an offensive playmaker.
The Rockets were the second seed in the Western Conference last season, and they lost to the seventh seeded Golden State Warriors in seven games in the first round series. Houston has a lot of young talent on the roster. The Rockets traded away Jalen Green in the offseason in order to get Durant. Houston feels like they are knocking on the door for a potential title. Will Durant be the newcomer that makes the biggest impact during the 2025-2026 NBA season?
NBA Insider Believes That Houston Rockets Kevin Durant Will Be the Biggest Newcomer This Season
Chris Herring and Kevin Pelton of espn.com ranked there Top 14 newcomers for the 2025-2026 NBA season. They believe that Durant will be the top newcomer this season since this will be his first season with the Rockets. Perring said about the future hall of famer,
"Durant, who turns 37 later this month, is the best-known player and lone MVP on this list. The Rockets are hoping he can be the finishing piece for a franchise striving for a third NBA championship. His role in Houston couldn't be clearer. In joining the club that finished dead last in the league in effective field goal rate in the clutch (43.8%) during the regular season, Durant will be expected to serve as a closer and No. 1 option on offense when the going gets tough."
Durant no doubt is going to be the number one scoring option for this team. The Rockets have the defense already in place. Houston just needs someone to put the ball in the basket. Durant last season with the Suns played in 62 games. He averaged 26.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.2 BPG, and 0.8 SPG. Durant also shot 52.7% from the field and 43.0% from three-point land. He is also a very good free-throw shooter at 83.9%.
Along with Durant, some of the other key players on the Rockets roster will be Jabari Smith Jr., Fred VanVleet, and Alperen Sengun. Head coach Ime Udoka has established a culture for this team over the last couple of years. Houston is hoping that Durant will be their primary scorer on the line. The Rockets feel like trading for Durant will be enough for them to get over the top and take down the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference.
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