Rockets have a Kevin Durant problem that needs to be solved immediately

The Houston Rockets knew they were acquiring a near-perfect basketball player in Kevin Durant. Unfortunately, his worst habit has only been exacerbated in Space City. Durant is a lower-volume three-point shooter than he's ever been.

Some fans might point to other issues. To be sure, Durant's 3.1 assists per game are suboptimal. It would be his lowest mark since 2010-11 - which, if you're unaware of how time works, was a long time ago in NBA terms.

Sure, but the Rockets didn't bring Durant in to set up teammates. They brought him in to score - and for the most part, he's doing that as reliably as ever. His 62.6 True Shooting % (TS%) is identical to his 2023-24 mark, and likely to rise as he acclimatizes to the Rockets' system.

But if he can't increase his three-point volume, it could be a problem.

Rockets need Durant to shoot more threes

As of now, Durant is shooting just 4.0 threes per game. For context, Steph Curry is leading the NBA in attempts per game at 11.3 per contest.

It's not entirely his fault. This offense is set up for Durant to isolate. The result is often a mid-range jumper. For some players, that's problematic, but it's a great shot for Durant. For a different team, it wouldn't be an issue.

For the Rockets, it is. Houston is dead last in the NBA in threes per game at 29.3 per. In 2025-26, that's not going to fly for a team with championship aspirations.

Is it on Durant to solve the problem?

Rockets need more shooting all around

Largely. Durant's 4.0 threes per game are down 2.0 from the 6.0 per game he launched in 2024-25.

That was the second-highest mark of his career, so it would be foolish to expect much more than a couple of attempts per contest. Still, even if Durant got back to 6.0, that alone would have the Rockets shooting 31.3 per night. Suddenly, they'd leap from last in attempts to 26th.

Put differently, Durant can put a dent in the problem. He can't solve it. If he ups his volume, the Rockets will still need others to chip in.

Yet, it's hard to identify who else isn't carrying their weight. Amen Thompson shouldn't shoot more threes. Jabari Smith Jr. (5.4 attempts per game), Josh Okogie (3.1), and Tari Eason (4.8) are all putting up solid volume relative to their roles.

So, the answer is for Durant to make a drastic increase, and everyone else to make marginal gains. If he can get up to 6.0, and those other guys can all put up just 0.5 threes more per game, the Rockets will have acceptable volume. Three-point volume won't be a staple for this team, but they need to move up from last place:

And that starts with Durant.