Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant. Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Rockets' Kevin Durant-centered offense sputtering in big moments

By Sean Keane | Last updated Mar 17, 2026 4:46 PM ET

Kevin Durant took responsibility for the Houston Rockets' 100-92 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He told reporters, "I'm the offense," but that offense has been struggling down the stretch in big games.

Durant scored just two points in the fourth quarter while his team had 12 points and seven turnovers. The Rockets defense remains strong, but their lack of playmaking might be the biggest roadblock to their championship aspirations.

Kevin Durant is a great scorer, not a great passer

Durant scores 25.8 points per game, shooting 51.4 percent from the floor and 40.2 from three-point range. Those are excellent, efficient numbers, but he's delivering only 4.4 assists versus 3.2 turnovers.

That's not his job on this Rockets team, which has center Alperen Sengun as its assists leader with 6.1 per game. Nominal point guard Amen Thompson averages 5.3 assists and 2.5 turnovers but shoots a miserable 22.1 percent from three-point range, which limits his effectiveness. Second-year guard Reed Sheppard is a shoot-first guard, making 38.7 percent of his threes but dishing out only 3.2 assists.

Overall, the Rockets are fourth-worst in the NBA in three-pointers and assists, while committing the third-most turnovers. That's a direct result of losing Fred VanVleet to a preseason ACL tear, and also a direct result of the Rockets not finding a replacement for VanVleet. That's how the Rockets put up a 35-point, 15-turnovers second half against the Lakers.

Kevin Durant in the 2nd Half against the Los Angeles Lakers:

2 Points
1/5 FG
0/2 3P
6 Turnovers

He should get on his burner and talk trash about himself. pic.twitter.com/74SjhNGFft
— Land of Lowlights (@LoLowlights) March 17, 2026

Houston Rockets can't rely solely on rebounding

Like last season, the Rockets have cobbled together an effective offense by dominating on the offensive boards. That strategy took a hit when Steven Adams went out for the season and works even worse with Sengun out.

It also doesn't work when the game gets tight. Last season, the Rockets crushed the Golden State Warriors on the boards in their first-round series, but their high turnovers and low assists numbers doomed them, as they failed to crack 100 points in three losses.

When teams have time to game-plan the Rockets, they can bother Durant with double-teams and shifting defenses. Going to Sengun is an alternative, but he's another high-turnover player (3.3 per game) who isn't a three-point threat.

What do the Rockets need? A real point guard. Since they won't have one the rest of the way, coach Ime Udoka needs to adjust to solve defenses keyed on Durant. Durant may say he's the offense, but if opposing teams can keep him in check, that offense needs to expand to other players.

Sean Keane

Sean Keane is a sportswriter and a comedian based in Oakland, California, with experience covering the NBA, MLB, NFL and Ice Cube’s three-on-three basketball league, The Big 3. He’s written for Comedy Central’s “Another Period,” ESPN the Magazine, and Audible. com

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