3 Kevin Durant bold predictions for 2025-26 Rockets season

Last season, Durant became just the eighth member of the 30,000-point club. He reached the feat after hitting a free throw against the Memphis Grizzlies in February. He currently has 30,571 career points, 1,721 shy of surpassing Jordan for No. 5 in the all-time ladder. With him being a major part of the Rockets’ offense, that should be very doable for Durant, who averaged 26.6 points last year.

Just two seasons ago, he scored 2,032 points in 75 games with the Suns. KD looks healthy and should play at least the same number of games in his first stint in Houston. Aside from surpassing Jordan, he will also leap over Dirk Nowitzki (31,560 career points) and Wilt Chamberlain (31,419 career points), who are sixth and seventh on the list, respectively.

Kevin Durant will not be the Rockets’ leading scorer

With that being said, Durant will not top the Rockets in scoring in his first run. That distinction will belong to Sengun. The 23-year-old center had a stellar stint for Turkey in the EuroBasket, displaying his much-improved offense hinged on a wider arsenal. While KD will be a primary option, Sengun will get more buckets for the Rockets, especially with Fred VanVleet possibly out for the season after tearing his ACL.

Coach Ime Udoka has always emphasized player movement on offense, something that Durant will have to adjust to as he’s more adept at creating scoring opportunities with the ball in his hands. Sengun, meanwhile, has flourished under Udoka’s system. His scoring may have dipped a bit to 19.1 points last season, but his dominance at the EuroBasket—battling the likes of Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo—should only give him more confidence to take over on offense for the Rockets.

Kevin Durant will post career-high shooting splits

The 37-year-old Durant is arguably the most efficient scorer in the history of the NBA. Over the years, he has learned to pick his spots better, even admitting so on the “Mind the Game” podcast. His career-high shooting splits are 56.0%, 45.0%, and 90.5%, and it’s not implausible for him to have a slightly better accuracy in the upcoming season. With pace-and-space becoming even more pronounced in the NBA, it favors a three-level scorer like Durant, who’s also more economical with his moves compared to other stars.

Last season, he had shooting splits of 52.7%, 43.0%, and 83.9%—not too far from his career-bests. He already reached the 50-40-90 club in 2012-13, and he hasn’t been shy in saying that he wants to achieve the rare feat once again. The four-time scoring champion knows it’s not about the volume of shots anymore, which should only help him get higher percentages with the Rockets.