The Houston Rockets swung for the fences this offseason, completing a blockbuster trade to acquire superstar Kevin Durant.
The Rockets won 52 games with a group of budding young stars last year, so they obviously feel that adding Durant could put them over the top. Or could it backfire?
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David Aldridge of The Athletic isn't so sure the Durant marriage will pan out in Houston, wondering if Durant will be too much of a ball-stopper and, in turn, bog down the Rockets' offense.
"I'm not wholly sold this is going to be all rainbows and unicorns," Aldridge wrote. "Durant is still a great scorer, but like all great scorers, he needs the ball. So, too, do Alperen Şengün and Amen Thompson and [Jabari] Smith. Houston's spent most of the last four years getting the ball to move better. Is isoing KD at the elbow the best way for this team to take the next step?"
As we saw with both the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns in recent years, acquiring Durant does not necessarily guarantee euphoria. The Nets were never able to break through with Durant on the roster, and the Suns didn't even make the playoffs during his final season with the team.
Taking that into consideration, Aldridge's concerns are valid, especially for a Houston squad that was obviously preparing to take a major step, perhaps akin to the one the Oklahoma City Thunder just took en route to a championship.
Yes, Durant did put the Golden State Warriors over the top, but if we are being honest, that group had already won a title, and they went 73-9 the year before bringing him into the fold.
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So there are absolutely reasons for trepidation when it comes to Durant representing the piece the Rockets have chose on which to lean for the foreseeable future, because if this doesn't work out, it could torpedo everything Houston has been building the last few years.
But if Durant fits and everything goes according to plan? Well, then good luck to any team not named the Thunder beating the Rockets next season.
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