Coming into the season, the Houston Rockets were expected to be title contenders. With the blockbuster trade to acquire one of the greatest scorers of all time in Kevin Durant after their first playoff appearance in five years, the Rockets were truly ready for lift-off.
That is, until injuries came into the fold. Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet suffered a torn ACL and is expected to miss the entire year. While that was a huge blow to Houston’s chances of going all the way, the Rockets were still considered one of the better teams in the NBA.
When you have Durant and a solid supporting cast, that team will always have a chance. That’s what the Rockets are looking at right now. Despite some struggles throughout the year, Houston hasn’t been considered among the absolute elite — and rightfully so. There are plenty of areas where the Rockets need to be better. However, they are still quietly third in the Western Conference with a 37-21 record.
There are only four teams in the NBA with a better record than the Rockets. The reason Houston is even in this position has been the consistency of Durant, the now 16-time All-Star who has had to carry the Rockets at times throughout the year.
While he wasn’t supposed to have this kind of role — leading the offense from the front and being the main scoring engine like in his prime — KD has had to become that for the Rockets without their veteran starting point guard in VanVleet.
The MVP Case for Durant
Not only is the Slim Reaper getting it done, he’s doing it at one of the highest levels in the NBA. As high as the expectations were for Durant in Houston, he is arguably outperforming them at the moment.
At age 37, Durant is averaging 26.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game on 51% shooting overall. The 6-foot-11, 240-pound forward is also hitting near-elite 50/40/90 splits, shooting 40.2% from three and 89% from the free-throw line. He’s been forced to create for others and serve as the primary initiator for the offense at times.
The most impressive part has to be that Durant is averaging almost 37 minutes per game in his 19th season. That is the fourth-most in the entire NBA. He is the oldest among the top 10 in minutes played. Durant has appeared in 55 out of 58 games this season, and the couple he missed were not injury-related.
This MVP conversation reignited after his latest incredible performance. In the second night of a back-to-back against a good Orlando Magic team on the road, Durant posted a season-high 40 points in 40 minutes on 14/28 shooting along with eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
During the game, he became the sixth player all-time to reach 32,000 career points. Durant is now ahead of legends like Dirk Nowitzki and Wilt Chamberlain on the all-time scoring list. Up next is Michael Jordan, whom he’ll likely pass during the season.
The 2013-14 MVP also tied Kobe Bryant for the fifth-most 30-point games in NBA history with 431. Durant has 22 30+ point games so far this year.
There is no doubt about his scoring, but he’s also getting it done on defense with a 45% defensive field goal percentage — one of the best marks in the NBA. Durant has posted two games with three blocks and has crossed more than 10 assists in a game twice while dishing more than five dimes in about half his games.
The questions surrounding his potential Twitter burner account have been forgotten amid how well the Rockets have been playing lately. Jabari Smith Jr. has clearly improved and now has a mid-range shot in his arsenal like Durant. The leadership and mentorship are also being shown.
Durant is doing exactly what an MVP candidate should do: carrying the team when it matters most, producing at an elite level, and staying available night after night in his 19th season.