HOUSTON, TX – At 37 years old, Kevin Durant is still one of the most lethal scorers in NBA history. He’s averaging nearly 26 points per game on a stunning 51-40-89 shooting split. The man is a walking bucket, an all-time great who can get his shot against any defender in any situation.
But in Wednesday’s 124-116 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, something became painfully clear: the Houston Rockets are relying on Durant to do too much. And when that happens, the offense stalls, the turnovers pile up, and the losses follow.
The First Half Problem
Let’s start with the numbers. In the first half on Wednesday, Durant attempted just three shots. He scored two points. Two. The Rockets went into the locker room down 67-55.
This wasn’t a case of Durant playing passively. It was a case of the Lakers refusing to let him play at all.
Every time Durant crossed half-court, the double-teams came. Two defenders, sometimes three, swarming him before he could even get into his offensive rhythm. The Lakers’ game plan was simple: take the ball out of Durant’s hands and make someone else beat them.
And for the first half, it worked.
The Second Half Surge
Durant adjusted in the second half, scoring 16 points on 75% shooting. He flipped the switch, found his spots, and reminded everyone why he’s a future Hall of Famer.
But here’s the problem: even with Durant scoring, it wasn’t enough. Luka Dončić put up 40 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists. LeBron James added 30 points on an absurd 13-of-14 shooting. The Lakers’ stars outdueled the Rockets’ star, and Houston lost.
That’s the risk when your entire offense runs through one player. When he’s on, you’re in the game. When the defense takes him away, or when the other team’s stars are also on, you’re cooked.
The Fourth Quarter Collapse
The Rockets actually stormed back in the third quarter, outscoring the Lakers 37-22 with a quicker pace and better ball movement. They looked like the team that won 52 games last season—young, athletic, and dangerous.
Then the fourth quarter happened.
Houston shot 42.9% from the field and 28.6% from three. They committed three critical turnovers. Durant took just two shots in the final 12 minutes, while four other players had more attempts.
The offense, once again, became stagnant. The ball stopped moving. And the Lakers took advantage, outscoring Houston 35-24 in the fourth.
The Bigger Issue
This isn’t a one-game problem. It’s a pattern.
All season, the Rockets have struggled to find a consistent offensive initiator when defenses take Durant away. Alperen Şengün’s return from a back injury has helped mitigate the turnover issues, but the core problem remains: when Durant is forced to give up the ball, the Rockets don’t have a reliable second option to create offense.
Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, the players traded for Durant, weren’t superstars. But they were creators. They could handle the ball, attack off the dribble, and keep the offense flowing when the first option was taken away.
Now? When Durant gets doubled, the offense often grinds to a halt. The ball ends up in the hands of players who aren’t comfortable creating for themselves or others, and the result is a lot of late-clock possessions and contested shots.
The Balance Question
Ime Udoka has a difficult task. He has one of the greatest scorers in NBA history on his roster. Of course he wants to use him. But there’s a difference between using Durant and relying on him.
The Rockets won 52 games last year without Durant. They have a talented young core—Şengün, Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Cam Whitmore. These are players who can score, who can create, who can make plays.
But right now, they’re deferring to Durant. And that’s natural. When you have a future Hall of Famer on your team, you give him the ball. But there has to be a balance. The offense can’t become “give it to KD and hope he beats the double-team.”
The Playoff Implications
The Rockets are now the fifth seed in the Western Conference, having lost the tiebreaker to the Lakers. They’re still a playoff team. They’re still dangerous.
But the playoffs are about adjustments. They’re about game-planning and counter-game-planning. If the Rockets can’t find a way to generate offense when Durant is taken away, they’re going to have a short postseason.
Every team in the West will do what the Lakers did. They’ll double Durant. They’ll make someone else beat them. And if the Rockets don’t have an answer, they’ll be watching the conference finals from home.
The Bottom Line
Kevin Durant is still one of the best players in the world. He can still score 30 points on any given night, against any defense.
But the Rockets need more. They need balance. They need the ball to move. They need their young core to step up and take some of the burden off their superstar.
If they can find that balance, they’re a legitimate contender. If not, they’re just a team with a superstar and a ceiling.
The talent is there. The question is whether the system can unlock it.