Terrifying Kevin Durant truth that could sink the Rockets

As the Houston Rockets enter the 2025-26 season, all eyes are on what their new offensive structure will look like with the addition of superstar Kevin Durant over the offseason.

However, according to Chris Vernon of The Ringer, just one significant injury to Durant, especially given his age and the new pecking order in Houston, could have disastrous effects for the team's regular season results in a loaded Western Conference.

Given the fact that the Rockets reached the second seed in the West on the shoulders of their defensively-tinted play style, the fact that they have now added a go-to, uber-effective scorer to their rotation should be serious cause for optimism. Yet, it also remains to be seen if the rest of the roster can conform around the amount of touches that Durant will demand, and there also is a large amount of uncertainty surrounding what the team might look like if Durant goes down.

Kevin Durant's age should be a major concern for the Rockets

With their young core of Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson still intact, Houston has ample reason to believe that they contend this season if Durant plays to the level that has come to be expected of him at this point in his career.

Yet, according to Vernon, there are still some major uncertainties surrounding Durant's arrival to Houston: "Whenever you are changing dynamic and you are changing pecking order, there's always going to be some level of transition, and you are also putting a lot more on guys that maybe as much wasn't put on... The other thing is, if Kevin Durant at his age goes down for 30-something games, [you're in a tough spot]."

While a team certainly cannot be constructed with plans for the worst-case scenario to take place, Vernon also has a point concerning the viability of the Rockets were Durant to miss time.

Durant played in only 62 games last season and, over the past five seasons combined, has missed 136 regular season games due to injury.

Both Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, who took on heavy minutes on last year's team, were shipped off to Phoenix in the Durant trade, and, if Durant goes down, the bulk of the offensive burden shifts back onto players such as Sengun and Fred VanVleet.

While these are certainly both capable, and at times dominant, offensive performers, we saw last year that this roster, without Durant, is not enough to cobble together a championship-level offense.

Moreover, even with Durant playing, players such as Sengun and VanVleet will be asked to take on new roles with different levels of usage. While it's right to have confidence in these players to figure it out, Vernon is also correct to point out that there is a significant transition that still needs to take place on the court.

Therefore, while there is much to be excited about with the arrival of Durant, there are still some major concerns that should not be forgone.