Rockets need to answer painful question before title hopes become real

The most difficult part of building an NBA champion is finding the player capable of leading the team. The Houston Rockets have a roster loaded with veteran contributors and young players who still have room to grow.

The Rockets have plenty of talent. What they may not have is the one thing every champion needs: a true No. 1 option.

Kevin Durant may be too old to carry Houston

Kevin Durant is a future Hall of Famer and still an elite player in today's game. He is currently the best player on this Rockets team, coming off a season where he averaged 26.0 points on a ridiculous 64.1% true shooting. He was second in overall minutes played in the league and was Houston’s clear offensive fulcrum.

The biggest issue with Durant is his age. He is going into his age-38 season. You hate to discredit a player due to a theoretical decline, but history is not on Durant's side.

There are only three players in league history who have made an All-NBA team in their age-38 season or later: LeBron James, Tim Duncan, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Modern training and dieting have allowed players to age more gracefully than ever before, but regardless of training techniques, being a top-15 player in the league into your late 30s is extremely rare.

Durant has also worn the unflattering label of being injury prone. He has missed at least 20 games in four of the six seasons he has played since leaving Golden State. Even this year, when he played 77 games and was second in overall minutes played in the league, he finished the year missing five of Houston’s six playoff games due to multiple injuries.

Relying on a 38-year-old Kevin Durant to be the best player on a championship team would be asking Durant to overcome obvious personal and historical trends.

Can Amen Thompson or Alperen Sengun make a leap?

The next option for Houston is its two budding young stars.

Alperen Sengun is 23 years old and already a two-time All-Star. He may be one of the best passing centers in league history.

Sengun is already an offensive hub, but there are questions about whether he can be the primary scoring option on a championship team. His defensive limitations create more questions.

First options on championship teams are usually able to put up huge scoring totals when their team needs them to, and center is the most important defensive position. Sengun can absolutely be a key contributor on a championship team, but his flaws may prevent him from leading a team to the promised land himself.

Amen Thompson may be Houston’s best internal option. Like Sengun, he is also 23 years old and not a threat to shoot from outside, but that is where the comparisons end. Thompson was listed at point guard for most of the season, but that is not his natural position.

He is a below-average playmaker for a point guard and would be better served as a wing, with a reliable passing point guard beside him. He is, however, a top-tier NBA athlete. He has already made an All-Defense First Team and projects to make another All-Defense Team this year.

Most of his scoring comes from his athleticism. If he is able to become a more polished offensive option, then nothing is holding Amen Thompson back from being one of the very best players in the league.

There is no guarantee that will happen. Giannis Antetokounmpo has tried to develop a jumper his entire career, proving athletic dominance and work ethic do not always guarantee shooting development.

But it is easy to see how Thompson could develop into a first option. If he cannot develop his offense, then Houston may have to look elsewhere to find a player capable of leading this team.

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