Kevin Durant's most underrated feat this season has been the Rockets' lifesaver

The Houston Rockets were without Kevin Durant during Sunday's win over the Memphis Grizzlies. This brings Durant’s first regular season with the Rockets to a close. And in a season that saw its ups and downs, an unappreciated accomplishment has been Durant’s availability this year.

With the season ending today, Durant has completed his healthiest three-year stretch since his days with the Golden State Warriors. This should make Rockets fans feel proud of his resilience and willingness to suit up every chance he gets.

Kevin Durant is exceeding all expectations with his availability

Coming into the year, questions about Durant’s ability to stay healthy and stay in the lineup for Houston persisted. Still, he has since silenced all doubts by appearing in 78 games and averaging 36.4 minutes per game this season. That's the third-most minutes per game in the league. Only Tyrese Maxey and Amen Thompson averaged more minutes per game than Durant.

This year, Durant played his most games in a season since the 2018-19 season, when he also appeared in 78 games for the Warriors. Dating back to his first full season with the Phoenix Suns in 2023-24, Durant has completed his healthiest three-year stretch since his 2016-19 seasons with Golden State.

Durant’s ability to remain healthy has helped keep the Rockets competitive. This season, the Rockets went through stretches without key rotational players, including a consistent fifth starter. Fred Van Vleet, the usual starter for the Rockets, missed the entire season due to a torn ACL.

The Rockets were also without the services of Steven Adams for 50 games, Dorian Finney-Smith for 46 games and Tari Eason for 23 games.

Durant proved to be the hero for Houston in games where they were depleted. A prime example of this is Durant’s game winning 3-pointer vs the Phoenix Suns on January 5. In that game, the Rockets were without Alperen Sengun due to an ankle injury.

Durant has been sensational for Houston. In his first year with the Rockets, he averaged 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game on 52% shooting from the field. His availability all season long was the only reason the Rockets offense was able to stay afloat.

With the Rockets set to potentially face a depleted Lakers team, the importance of Durant’s availability should be recognized more than ever. Many of the other older stars in the league, such as LeBron James and Stephen Curry, have missed significant time this year. But Durant has been able to outduel Father Time for yet another season. And Houston will need him at full strength in order to make a deep playoff run.

So, for now, let’s knock on some wood and gear up for another special playoff run by one of the best to ever lace ‘em up. Hopefully he's able to maintain his good health through the postseason.