Even after finishing with their best record in six years last season, the Houston Rockets have made a dramatic jump over the summer by adding Kevin Durant to their roster.
Durant remains one of the top players in the NBA, with a resume and scoring ability that teams around the league would love to have. Now leading this Rockets team, Durant hopes to win the third championship of his career.
Speaking on a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) former NBA player Jamal Crawford said he has high hopes for Durant and the Rockets next season.
“I think KD will fit great,” Crawford said on Durant heading to Houston. “He’s one of the few people who are on the all-time list who have played but didn’t disrupt their teammates’ rhythm.”
Crawford is one of only two players in league history to win the Sixth Man of the Year award three times, and is the oldest player ever to score at least 50 points in a game.
Crawford’s Durant and Rockets Praise
In his Reddit AMA, Crawford responded to multiple questions relating to Durant and the Rockets. Their trade with the Phoenix Suns, sending Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks in exchange for Durant, was the biggest move of the 2025 NBA offseason.
“My heart tells me Houston, because of the success they had with their young players, and they are getting a player of Kevin Durant’s caliber,” Crawford said about which team made the biggest leap. “I’ve been a Kevin Durant fan for a long time, and I had a lot of faith in it working out in Phoenix, and it didn’t, but I think this may be the right move.”
Houston also added Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela, while keeping a majority of their supporting cast, many signing newer, smaller deals to create additional cap space. Durant remains the star of the team, and as Crawford mentioned, his ability to slide into any roster and fit in is part of what makes him so successful.
“He’s one of the few players, Steph (Curry)’s another one, who can play any system and still be just as effective and not take away from anybody else,” Crawford said. “So when you play like that, you can fit any system. And he can tap into, I guess the kids say “their bags”, he can tap into his “do it yourself bag” if he wants, or he can tap into just playing with the unit. I think that’s what makes him so dynamite.”
Crawford also said that alongside Durant, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets remains his other favorite player to watch in the NBA.
Houston’s 2025-26 Schedule
The NBA schedule was released just before Crawford did his Reddit AMA. He mentioned Houston’s opening game of the season against the Oklahoma City Thunder has piqued his interest.
“I’m going to say the first matchup is what I’m most excited for. I think seeing Houston going to OKC, obviously, Durant coming back to OKC,” Crawford added. “OKC just won a championship, fresh off from that. I think that’s the one I’m looking forward to. And that’s kind of selfish, because I’ll be on the call as well. So that was kind of a selfish answer, for sure.”
Along with that matchup, the Rockets will play on Christmas Day against LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Their other notable games of their 2025-26 season will come against the Suns on November 24th, the Dallas Mavericks on December 6th, the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 16th, and the Golden State Warriors on March 5th.
Durant and the Rockets will play 16 back-to-back games, tied for the most, and 28 nationally televised games, tied for the second-most in the NBA.
After having its first 50-win season since 2019, Durant joins a strong Rockets team that is currently a top title-favorite in the Western Conference.
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