Kevin Durant has golden opportunity to prove former NBA exec wrong

In the 2024-25 season, the Houston Rockets were recognized for their depth. They thought they'd acquired a top 10 player this summer in Kevin Durant, but John Hollinger disagrees.

He just named his top 10 NBA players heading into the 2025-26 season. Durant was conspicuously absent from the list. That said, it wouldn't be fair to complain without breaking down the rest of the players named.

Does Durant deserve a spot over any of them?

Rockets' Durant underrated on new list

Let's look at the list.

Hollinger's Top 10 Players

1. Nikola Jokic
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
4. Luka Doncic
5. Victor Wembanyama
6. Anthony Edwards
7. Evan Mobley
8. Jalen Williams
9. Jalen Brunson
10. Donovan Mitchell

The first four players on this list are unimpeachable. Those are the four best players in the NBA heading into 2025-26, with Jayson Tatum injured. It's nearly impossible to argue otherwise.

Wembanyama and Edwards are fascinating cases. Durant was likely better than either in 2024-25, but baking in age-related regression and improvement, it's fair to assume that each will be better than him in 2025-26.

From 7 onwards, it gets interesting.

Durant, Mobley, Williams, Brunson, and Mitchell were all comparable last year. They all scored between 3.0 and 4.0 in Box Plus/Minus (BPM) except Mobley (4.6). Durant was on the low end (3.2), but that doesn't tell the whole story. His Suns were by far the worst team in this group, and it's hard to pin that on him.

Rockets fans may be outraged, but it's hard to say Hollinger was unequivocally wrong here. Durant may not be a top 10 player in 2025:

Or, he may prove Hollinger wrong.

Rockets' Durant can use this list as motivation

We all know Durant is (*ahem*) on the internet. He's likely seen this list. If he's reading this article, he should appear on the author's podcast.

(Worth a shot).

Moreover, the fact that he's even in the top 10 conversation at 37 is remarkable. A prime version of Durant would land somewhere between 1st and 3rd in the modern NBA landscape, but Father Time is undefeated.

Still, Durant is in a great position to fight him off. The Rockets will have him surrounded with one of the best defensive casts he's ever had. Alperen Sengun is surely the best playmaking big man he's ever played with. If he's still a top 10 player, he'll have every opportunity to prove that in 2025-26:

And Rockets fans would love for Hollinger to eat his words.