Should Houston Load Manage Kevin Durant?

I asked our Rockets On SI writers whether Houston should load-manage Durant to preserve him for the NBA playoffs.

Austin Dobbins

With the state of the Western Conference the Houston Rockets are set to be in the top half of the West, firmly behind at least San Antonio and Oklahoma City. Kevin Durant is the ultimate engine off this team, even at 37 years old. Last season he finished 9th in MVP voting and he led the Houston Rockets in scoring, averaging 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists over 78 games last season. In regards to load management, my answer is yes, just not in the way of some other stars. Durant has returned from his Achillies injury better than anyone ever has, and he has been available. It will be important to be cautious with Durant as the Rockets will need him healthy for the post season if they want any chance of winning the conference.

Each injury/tweak should be taken seriously and ensuring Durant remains healthy is essential. But given that, it is important not to baby Durant, he is a competitor, and he wants more than anything to be on that court, he has expressed his thoughts on load management in the past, and I definitely don't anticipate those to change.
I don't like the idea of "load management" tbh, but more so being extra cautious in regards to return from injury/tweaks.

Major Passons

The question of whether the Rockets should load-manage Durant is an easy one for me. No, you don’t. I am not saying force him to play 82, but I believe intentionally limiting games is not a recipe for success. Durant should play if he is healthy. Most importantly, the Rockets need him in rhythm for the playoffs more than they need him rested. The question of whether the Rockets should load-manage Durant is an easy one for me.

Ethan J. Skolnick

It's remarkable, considering the injuries he has endured over the course of his career, that Durant played 78 games last season, at age 37 -- and played at a level almost identical to his production the season prior in Phoenix. Does he need to play that many again? Probably not. It's unclear if his workload contributed to him missing time in the playoffs, but that can't happen again, and Houston should do whatever is required to avoid it.

The West is strong at the very top, with Oklahoma City and Minnesota, but it's weaker in the middle, so Durant missing a game here or there won't sink the Rockets. (The East, oddly enough, looks a lot deeper.). At the very lease, Durant should not be averaging 36.4 minutes again. It's tough to keep him off the floor (he wants to play), but for his own good and the team's, cutting three to four minutes per night might pay later dividends, and force others to step into bigger roles.