Amid early season adversity, the Houston Rockets have discovered an elite offensive partnership, with Kevin Durant and Alperen Şengün forging one of the NBA’s most potent and complementary tandems.
HOUSTON – The Houston Rockets entered the 2025-26 season with lofty expectations, boasting a theoretical big three of Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, and Alperen Şengün. But when starting point guard Fred VanVleet went down with an early injury, a new, even more formidable duo was forced to emerge – and the league is now taking notice.
Nov 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) and forward Kevin Durant (7) celebrate after a play during the second quarter against the Orlando Magic at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
The offensive burden has shifted dramatically, and the results have been spectacular. Alperen Şengün has transformed into the team’s central hub, orchestrating the offense with a style that evokes comparisons to Nikola Jokić. The Turkish big man is putting up staggering all-around numbers: 22.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game, while shooting a remarkable 43.6% from beyond the arc.
Alongside him, Kevin Durant has continued to operate with his trademark efficient brilliance. The future Hall of Famer is averaging 24.6 points on elite shooting splits of 48.7% from the field and a 61.0% true shooting percentage.
Their synergy has captured the attention of analysts like Jason Timpf of the popular show “Hoops Tonight.”
“This is one of the very best duos in the NBA,” Timpf stated. “Are either of them as good as Shai or Luka or Giannis or Jokic? No. But they’re both just barely below that tier. They’re also super complementary with each other… These are just two bad mfers and they are going to be a huge pain in the ass for anybody to deal with in a playoff series.“
Timpf elaborated on how their skillsets mesh perfectly. Durant provides the unstoppable, high-variance isolation scoring, while Şengün offers the consistent, cerebral playmaking from the post and elbow that stabilizes the entire offense.
The statistics back up the hype. The Rockets have surged to a 10-4 record, winning eight of their last ten games to sit fifth in the competitive Western Conference. Their offensive execution has been historically good, currently ranking first in the NBA in offensive rating, while the team holds the third-best net rating overall.
While the adjustment to VanVleet’s absence hasn’t been seamless for everyone—Amen Thompson has faced challenges transitioning to the point guard role—the unexpected dominance of the Durant-Şengün partnership has not only kept the Rockets afloat but has launched them into the upper echelon of contenders. If this duo continues to gel, Houston may prove to be the “huge pain in the ass” that no team wants to face come playoff time.