Kevin Durant has an opportunity to cement his legacy on the Rockets

The Houston Rockets acquired a perennial MVP candidate in Kevin Durant. ESPN thinks he's got a chance to win the award again in 2025-26. If he did, he'd cement his legacy forever.

Granted, some will argue that Durant's legacy doesn't need cementing. He's widely understood to be one of the best scorers in NBA history. What more could he accomplish?

Others cast aspersions. Sure, Durant can score. Yes, he's a mult-time champion - with the most super-y super team in league history. Even his lone MVP season came alongside Russell Westbrook. Can Durant carry a team as its undisputed alpha?

That's the question he has the opportunity to answer in Houston.

Rockets offer Kevin Durant legacy defining opportunity

Yes, the Rockets have lots of talent. Alperen Sengun is steadily developing, and Amen Thompson seems poised for a breakout. It's highly unlikely that either is going to be Durant's Steph Curry or Russell Westbrook in 2025-26.

It feels like a perfect storm. The Rockets have the depth and defensive roster to make Durant's life easy, but they also have a pressing need for his scoring acumen. They acquired Durant to cover up the only hole on their roster.

So, this feels like a great opportunity for both sides. Yet, there are other issues to consider. Durant is closer to 40 than 30.

Can he really make another run for MVP?

Rockets' Kevin Durant will focus on winning

Let it be said that ESPN's voters gave Durant the 6th-best odds of winning MVP. They didn't name him as an overwhelming favorite.

That feels about right. Basketball Reference is predicting Durant to average 25.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per 36 minutes. Given that Durant is likely to average around 36 minutes per night, we can take those as rough season average predictions.

They're good numbers. They won't likely get Durant a second MVP award. That said, those predictions are difficult to make. Durant may get more shots on the Rockets. His efficiency could wane with age. Who knows what will happen?

We can all agree on this: It's a secondary concern. It would be tremendously fun to watch Durant win a surprise MVP award in Rockets red at 37.

It'd be a lot more fun to watch him lead them to an NBA title. More than that, it would do more for Durant's legacy. He'd finally get the "he can only win with the Warriors" monkey off his back.

If Durant needs to rest too often to meet the minimum games requirement, that's fine. The Rockets can't let him play through pain unnecessarily. That said, he should be in the mix for the league's most prestigious individual award in 2025-26:

He typically is.