Oct 8, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) dribbles the ball during the third quarter against the Utah Jazz at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Ex-NBA Star Comments on Rockets' Threat-Level to the West

Originally posted on Fastbreak on SI | By Justin Grasso | Last updated Oct 9, 2025 11:58 AM ET

Kevin Durant’s Houston Rockets tenure started up on Wednesday night, and the former NBA big man Kendrick Perkins came away with a simple conclusion: The Rockets are going to be a threat to the league.

via @KendrickPerkins: The Rockets are going to be dangerous. Too much size, athleticism and skills is going to be hard to compete with it that damn Amen Thompson is SERIOUS

The Rockets are going to be dangerous. Too much size, athleticism and skills is going to be hard to compete with it that damn Amen Thompson is SERIOUS
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) October 9, 2025

Even prior to Kevin Durant’s arrival, the Rockets were one of the best regular-season teams in the Eastern Conference last season.

Unfortunately, the lack of experience across the board while playing against one of the most playoff-tested teams in the league led to an early postseason exit.

The addition of Durant could work wonders for Houston if it all clicks later on down the line. Of course, one preseason win against a rebuilding Utah Jazz team shouldn’t allow fans or Kenrick Perkins to get ahead of themselves.

But it is clear the Rockets are a threat to the rest of the West once again.

Houston put on a scoring clinic. As a whole, the team out-shot Utah in attempts 97-89. The Rockets made 54 percent of their shots from the field, and drained 38 percent of their threes.

Durant checked in for 23 minutes on Wednesday night. He put up 10 shots from the field, draining 70 percent of his field goals, while also going 5-5 from the line. The debut for Durant couldn’t have gone much better, as he scored 20 points, while racking up 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal.

Beyond the former NBA MVP, Amen Thompson received proper recognition from Perkins. In 25 minutes of action, Thompson went 9-15 from the field, and drained his lone three-pointer. The young veteran accounted for 19 points, trailing only Durant in scoring total.

In addition to his scoring, Thompson came down with 7 rebounds, dished out 6 assists, and had 2 steals and a block on the defensive end of the floor.

Heading into his third season, Thompson is viewed as one of the biggest risers in the league. His athleticism and defensive value were already off the charts when he was entering the league as a top-five selection in the draft.

During his sophomore season, Thompson posted averages of 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.3 blocks in just under 70 games. The Rockets are likely to increase Thompson’s role once again in year three. In Perkins’ eyes, Thompson could be a major reason why the Rockets are serious threats in the Western Conference this year.