Are the Houston Rockets ready to lift off and elevate themselves to being a legitimate championship contender in the NBA? It certainly looks that way, especially with the arrival of former league MVP and undisputed all-time great Kevin Durant.
With a talented core led by Alperen Sengun and Fred VanVleet, alongside rising stars like Amen Thompson, Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr., the Rockets have already emerged as strong contenders to dominate the Western Conference in the 2025-26 season.
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Former NBA head coach and three-time NBA champion Byron Scott agrees with this sentiment, especially since he expects Durant to fare much better in Houston than in Phoenix, where he struggled to find his fit alongside fellow All-Stars Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
Talent counts, but it isn’t everything
While having talented players is already half the battle, Scott and his guest on the podcast, Olden Polynice, noted how it’s not a guarantee for success. Durant’s last stop in Phoenix was a clear indicator of this, as the Suns failed to make the playoffs during the 2024-25 season despite having three All-Stars on their roster.
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“We all know that talent isn’t everything. Having great talent doesn’t mean you’re going to have a great basketball team,” Scott claimed. “Chemistry and camaraderie are so important in sports.”
He further suggested that the Rockets, a team brimming with young talent and a collective hunger for success, would react uniquely to his presence.
“I think with this Houston team, he’ll have better chemistry and camaraderie with these guys,” he explained. “Because these guys are looking up to him. They respect him. They expect him to come in and be — not their savior, but that missing piece.”
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According to Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, Durant actually relayed that same message to his teammates — that he’s here to fit in, not necessarily hijack the offense and throw away all the team had worked to develop the past few seasons.
“He’s a guy that doesn’t want (us) to just lean on him,” Udoka said in a separate interview. “That’s his message to a lot of the young guys: Be who you are, continue to grow in those areas and I’ll fit in where we see necessary.”
A different dynamic on the Suns
On paper, the Suns had the firepower and personnel to decimate whatever defense was in front of them. With Durant, Booker, and Beal, they had three guys immensely skilled at putting the ball in the basket from anywhere on the court. However, the Suns soon learned that winning in the league takes a lot more than amassing the most talent on one squad.
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“In Phoenix, you had Bradley who was like, ‘I’m the s—t.’ You had Devin Booker — ‘I’m the s—t,'” Scott continued. “So I don’t think they had a good fit in Phoenix. Very talented, but fit-wise, it just wasn’t a good fit.”
Durant’s fit with the Rockets seems poised for success. Although the team secured the second seed in the Western Conference during last season’s playoffs, they often appeared disjointed, most notably during their first-round loss to the seasoned and battle-tested Golden State Warriors.
Durant’s arrival looks to fix all that.
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“I think when you talk about a young team like Houston, when you bring in a vet like Kevin Durant, who can flat-out score, get it done, and play on both ends,” Scott remarked. “He can elevate a team, especially with his scoring. He’s got the experience of winning. This team is that close to breaking that barrier and getting to an NBA championship-type game or series.”
On paper, Durant’s arrival in Houston appears to be just what the doctor ordered for this up-and-coming Rockets squad. However, championships are never won on paper and it will be interesting to see how the chemistry between Durant and the rising stars on this Rockets team will play out.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 16, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.