Should the Rockets Reduce Kevin Durant’s Minutes Next Season?

While Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson have the potential to be franchise cornerstones, the 38-year-old Kevin Durant is currently the Houston Rockets’ best player. Durant averaged 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game last season, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team.

In addition to his exceptional longevity, the 16-time All-Star spent more time on the court than the majority of the league’s top stars. He averaged 36.4 minutes per game over 78 games, the third-highest average among NBA players.

Although Durant is not dealing with a significant injury at the moment, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka could reduce his playing time during his second year with the team. This form of load management could help minimize the potential wear and tear of an 82-game regular season and keep him available for a likely playoff run.

On the other side of the coin, Durant has already demonstrated the ability to handle heavy minutes and excel as a first-option scorer. It is also important that he builds chemistry with a Rockets lineup that is prepared to make a serious run at an NBA title.

The question is whether Udoka should put a minutes restriction into place, knowing that Durant has no intentions of slowing down for the upcoming year.

What Others From On SI Say

Austin Dobbins

“Kevin Durant is not big on load management, he never has been, and I see no reason to manage his minutes. Like Durant said, he is best when he is on the floor and his most recent injuries weren't due to overuse. The Rockets will need Durant and their entire roster to gel and compete during the regular season, giving them the best seed an opportunity to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy next summer, and don't try and micromanage one of the NBA's greats.”

Ethan J. Skolnick

"You can't judge Durant by normal standards. He shouldn't still be playing as well as he is at his age, and especially not after the major injuries (especially the Achilles) that he's endured throughout his career. He's out there to hoop, and not much else, and he doesn't hide that. And he will fight any attempts to reduce that opportunity. But there are subtle ways to shave off a little time, and try to keep Durant as fresh as possible for the final stretch of the season and the playoffs. While with Golden State, Durant was closer to 33 to 34 minutes than his recent 35 to 37, and it would make sense to get him back there. A lot of this will be up to his teammates -- can Alperan Sengun and Amen Thompson carry lineups when Durant sits, enough that he will be willing to agree?"