What Is A Reasonable Expectation For Kevin Durant in Houston?

The addition of Kevin Durant has fans of the Houston Rockets salivating over the team's potential next season. Fans and pundits alike are expecting deep postseason runs and high-level basketball throughout Durant's tenure in Houston.

Durant is still one of the league's top players, and it's fair to expect great things from the future Hall-of-Famer. If those expectations turn into reality, the Rockets will be well on their way to competing against the league's top teams.

First, the rest of the roster is a large reason why Durant may have more freedom to play his game the way he prefers.

Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun and Fred VanVleet will play significant roles for the Rockets. Shooting, passing, and attacking are all in their list of responsibilities, and they can each play at a high level.

Then the floor-spacers, like Jabari Smith Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith, and Reed Sheppard, will be able to receive open shots from the pass. Tari Eason and Steven Adams are the team's elite rebounders, who help clean missed shots for the offense.

With all these roles filled, Durant now has the foundation around him to perform at his highest potential. His scoring efficiency should still be at a high level. A reasonable expectation is for Durant to return to at least the numbers he put up in his last year with the Phoenix Suns. He shot nearly 53 percent from the field and 43 percent from long range.

There's a chance his elite three-point percentage could drop slightly, as he may need to shoot a higher volume of them to supplement the team's shooting when both Thompson and Sengun are on the floor, until they prove to be as capable outside shooters. However, Durant is one of the most efficient players ever, and a 50-40-90 season is could be the ceiling for Durant's performance next year.

Those are great heights, but the freedom Durant will have in the offense, along with the assistance he'll get from his teammates, is the ideal situation for him to be able to perform at a high level. The elite defense surrounding him removes some of his responsibility on that end, allowing him to direct more of his focus and energy to helping the Rockets become a potent offensive team.