Rockets finally grant Kevin Durant his longtime wish without anyone noticing

As Kevin Durant missed two games tending to a personal matter, it was reasonable to fear that the Houston Rockets would revert to many of the bad habits that limited them last season in the absence of their star scorer, and, in some ways, they did.

Yet, the team still found a way to grind out two wins against good teams, the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors, and, in doing so, they fulfilled Durant's longtime wish as he nears the end of his career: to have a team around him who can support themselves when he is not necessarily at his best.

Last season, the Phoenix Suns posted a 3-17 record in the 20 games he missed, ultimately resulting in their missing the play-in entirely and leading to the organization's decision to move on from the Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker era.

Yet, now that he has a stronger supporting cast around him, he can take the rest he will need throughout the course of the season without the worry that things will fall apart without him.

Kevin Durant is in the perfect place to end his career in Houston

To be clear, Houston needed Durant more than he needed them. Last season, despite ascending to the second seed in the Western Conference on the shoulders of their intense defensive identity, the team still lacked a go-to scorer in clutch situations, and, for the most part, Durant has granted them that so far.

His addition has transformed the Rockets into one of the best, if not the best, offensive teams in the NBA, and any championship hopes they have this season will hinge on his continued performance.

That being said, at age 37, Durant will need to miss games throughout the course of the season, and Houston has shown that they are capable of grinding out victories in his absence.

In the pair of games he missed, both Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard stepped up in a big way while opposing defenses focused their attention on Alperen Sengun: a facet to their game that the Rockets missed sorely last year.

Good teams are able to survive a couple games without their superstar, and the Rockets, yet again, have proved that they are a genuinely good team over these last two games.

In a loaded Western Conference, getting home-court advantage in the playoffs will be absolutely vital to making a deep playoff run, meaning that Houston cannot afford lengthy skids during the regular season. If and when Durant needs to miss time, he must be confident that his doing so will not leave the team in complete disarray.

As he nears the end of his career, the ability to rest, and trust the rest of the team to take care of business in his absence, could make all the difference in maintaining his health for the playoffs (and, by extension, the Rockets' championship hopes).