After sitting out last year’s playoffs due to injury, NBA veteran Kevin Durant is making his postseason comeback with the Houston Rockets as they prepare to take on the Los Angeles Lakers in their opening playoff series Saturday evening.
“I’m grateful to be here healthy with a team that’s looking forward to trying to do some big things,” Durant expressed. “(What) a difference a year can make and I’m just grateful to be back in this position. I don’t want to take any moment for granted.”
Following a major summer trade that brought him from Phoenix to Houston, the seasoned forward is guiding a youthful Rockets squad into playoff territory for their initial matchup against Los Angeles.
Last season proved challenging for the 37-year-old athlete, who sat out the final seven regular season contests due to an ankle problem while Phoenix struggled to a 1-6 record, ultimately missing playoff qualification.
This year tells a different story, as Durant ranked second league-wide in playing time with 2,840 minutes despite entering his 19th NBA campaign.
His enthusiasm for extended postseason play remains evident.
“When you get on the court and you get a chance to be healthy you want go out there and take advantage of that opportunity,” Durant explained. “So, I’m looking forward to it.”
Durant paced Houston’s scoring this season with a 26-point average, establishing himself as the NBA’s oldest player ever to reach the 2,000-point milestone in a single season.
Head coach Ime Udoka praised Durant’s contributions since joining the team, emphasizing his consistent presence on the court.
“Just the availability on a night-to-night basis,” Udoka noted. “Being able to play this many games at this stage in his career and the efficiency that he does it with … just the fact that he’s durable and available with the injuries in his past, is very impressive.”
Houston seeks its first championship since capturing consecutive titles in 1994 and 1995. The franchise returns to playoff action for the second consecutive year after Golden State eliminated them in round one last season, marking their first postseason since 2020.
Durant brings an impressive resume as the league’s fifth all-time leading scorer, two-time champion, 16-time All-Star, and four-time Olympic gold winner. His championship experience provides valuable leadership for a starting unit where his four teammates have combined for just one previous playoff appearance each.
When asked about his motivation for pursuing another championship, Durant emphasized daily focus.
“Winning every day is the most important thing,” he stated. “Obviously the main objective is to win a title, but you can’t do that unless you take care of each day first.”
Young teammates have embraced Durant’s guidance throughout the season. Twenty-three-year-old Amen Thompson described modeling his approach after the veteran’s work ethic and physical preparation.
“He’s great and I want to be great,” Thompson shared. “We’ve got a lot of young guys that want to be great, so just having that as something to look at every day and just being teammates with him is good.”
Durant’s positive influence extends beyond physical preparation. Fellow 23-year-old Alperen Sengun credited the veteran with improving his mental approach to offensive struggles.
“I used to care a lot when I used to miss shots,” Sengun revealed. “But when I miss shots now, he’s already screaming in my ear: ‘It’s gonna come.’ So, he’s helped with a lot of things, but the big thing is confidence, especially confidence.”
Despite his mentoring role throughout the regular season, Durant plans to let experience be the teacher as playoffs begin.
“Nope,” he responded when asked about sharing playoff wisdom. “Just jump in the fire and let’s see what happens, man. We can all get advice and words of encouragement from everybody in our lives and it’s not going to be like actually being in that action.”
Durant expresses confidence in Houston’s readiness after finishing the regular season with nine victories in their final ten contests.
“It’s the biggest stage of basketball and there’s a lot that comes around the game, but at the end of the day, when that ball’s tipped up, it’s just basketball,” he concluded. “So, we all know how to play at this level, and we all know what it takes to win basketball games. We’ve just got to do that consistently.”
