At 37, Rockets superstar Kevin Durant still belongs on All-NBA first team

At 37, Kevin Durant continues to defy time. In his first season with the Houston Rockets, the veteran forward delivered another elite campaign, proving he remains one of the most unstoppable scorers in NBA history.

Durant’s All-NBA selection shouldn’t be up for debate — what deserves real discussion is why he belongs on the first team.

Kevin Durant has a first-team All-NBA resume at 37

Durant and the Rockets finished 52-30 and secured the fifth seed in the Western Conference. The Rockets' season had ups and downs, but the forward played well consistently for all the 78 games he played. 

The 2014 NBA MVP averaged 26 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists and shot an efficient 52 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from three-point range. 

Durant also made history by surpassing NBA Hall of Famer and 10-time scoring champion Michael Jordan on the all-time scoring list. The 2007 pick is fifth all time and slightly more than 1,000 points behind the legendary Kobe Bryant for the fourth spot. 

Durant's ability to continue to play at a high level at this stage of his career is impressive. The two-time NBA champion suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon injury in the 2019 NBA Finals with the Golden State Warriors and missed the following season. 

Achilles injuries can significantly alter a player's performance, making Durant's continued elite production all the more remarkable.

Durant's efficient, impactful production gives him the edge over his peers

Premier players such as 2025 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs) and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) are virtual locks for the All-NBA first team.

Because of the NBA's 65-game minimum rule to qualify for league awards, All-NBA-caliber players such as Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Luka Doncic (Los Angeles Lakers ) and Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons ) won't be eligible to make an All-NBA team, let alone the first team. (Wembanyama played 64 regular-season games but reached the 65-game threshold through the NBA Cup final, which counts toward award eligibility.)

However, stars such as Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics ), Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers ) and Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers ) have strong cases to make the coveted first team, too. 

Brown has kept the Celtics afloat in the absence of superstar Jayson Tatum for much of the season. He averaged a career-high of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists.

Brunson averaged 26 points and led the Knicks to the third seed in the Eastern Conference, but his true shooting percentage (58%) is the lowest since the 2019 season with the Dallas Mavericks. 

Mitchell had another All-NBA-caliber season with the Cavaliers. The guard averaged 27.9 points, 5.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 70 games. However, Mitchell's below-average defense, a product of his intense play on offense, weakens his case.

Leonard reached the 65-game minimum and averaged 27.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals. Plus, the two-time NBA champion's true shooting percentage (62.9) is the highest of his career. 

Despite Leonard's individual production, the Clippers are 42-40 and are set to play in the play-in tournament. 

Wembanyama, Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic are likely to make the first team. Brown merits the fourth spot. Durant's production at this stage of his career makes him the clear choice to round out this elite group.