Kevin Durant X-factor that the Rockets' championship hopes could depend on

As the Houston Rockets acquired Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns in a blockbuster trade this offseason, all eyes were set on one thing: bringing the championship back to H-Town.

Yet, in the process of adding a pure scorer and a generational offensive threat to their starting line-up, the Rockets sacrificed a sizable portion of their perimeter shooting, and, although Durant's mid-range shot has certainly held up with age, the team will desperately need him to continue his prowess from the perimeter as well.

As Houston enters the 2025-26 season, they are a team without many weaknesses on either side of the ball. Still, Durant's ability to continue to space the floor could be the X-factor that defines the organization's historical experiment.

Kevin Durant's perimeter shot will need to hold up in order for the Rockets to contend

As Durant was bound to leave Phoenix, the Rockets' ultimate ability to acquire him for just a package of Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the Suns' own first-round pick and a host of second-rounders was, in many ways, a masterclass in asset management.

As perhaps the purest scoring threat in basketball history, Durant, who is still at the top of his game in many facets, completely transforms Houston's trajectory through his ability to score effortlessly in the mid-range and shoot the ball efficiently from seemingly anywhere on the court.

Yet, in losing Green and Brooks, the Rockets, who were already hampered from the perimeter, lost a combined 14.4 3-point attempts per game. Moreover, Brooks, who had not been a notable perimeter threat throughout his career, had seemingly found his stride last season, hitting 39.7% of his shots from beyond the arc.

With VanVleet's shot taking a dip last season, it is likely the team will need to rely on Durant as a perimeter threat more than they would otherwise. Thankfully, Durant is still one of the best perimeter shooters in the league in addition to being one of the most efficient scorers.

Last season, on six attempts per game, Durant shot a career best 43% from beyond the arc, and a number near or north of the 40% threshold has seemingly become a given in the later stages of his career.

Yet, Durant has not averaged more than six attempts per game since he was with the Golden State Warriors in 2017-18, and, in order to jumpstart their offense to the levels necessary for contention, the Rockets will likely need to lean on Durant to bring his volume up.

While this is not necessarily the most dangerous gamble the organization could make, it remains to be seen whether Durant's numbers would hold steady with higher volume. If they do, we could be looking at a very, very dangerous offense this season.