While the Houston Rockets finished the 2025-2026 regular season with a 52-30 record, the franchise’s title hopes ended in the first round of the NBA Playoffs at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Durant suffered an ankle injury during Game 2, leading to the 16-time All-Star being sidelined for the majority of the series. A knee injury from before the postseason had already caused him to miss Game 1.

During Rockets media day, Durant expressed that he was not close to returning to the Lakers series. He also conveyed that the Rockets were not in an uncomfortable situation without himself, Steven Adams, or Fred VanVleet on the court.

“I couldn’t play. It was hard for me to run up and down the court… I don’t think basketball can put you in an uncomfortable position. You’re either going to learn from it or not. I think that the position they were put in in the playoffs was exactly what they needed to go through.”

When asked, Durant reaffirmed that the experience was beneficial for Houston’s core.

“Most definitely. There are players that play in this league for 12, 13 years that never played in a playoff series. That intensity, playing against the same team for a week, that’s important. It’s only going to make you better as a player to understand that intensity, the most pressure and the most expectations on you as an individual player.”

Without Durant leading the offensive charge, Alperen Sengun averaged 20.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, while Amen Thompson contributed 19.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game.

The Rockets’ Future

Although several of Houston’s young core players have arguably not yet reached their prime years, there are high hopes for the Rockets as they look to regain their footing in the Western Conference standings.

Elevating his profile as one of the league’s top playmaking centers, Sengun is coming off a second-straight All-Star selection. He averaged 6.2 assists per game last season, finishing behind only Nikola Jokic for the highest amount at his position.

Continuing to make strides in development, Thompson recently signed a five-year, $208 million contract extension with the Rockets. He finished in the top 10 in Defensive Player of the Year voting for a second consecutive year.

While Durant has yet to make a firm decision on his player option for the 2027-2028 season, this dynamic duo is anticipated to usher in the next era of Rockets basketball. The coming months will provide more clarity on the franchise’s ceiling.