Kevin Durant Moves to Houston Rockets: 2025 Outlook

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00:00Still the headliners, J.Y. Kevin Durant on his way to the Houston Rockets.

00:05We have seen some other moves happen, of course, throughout this offseason.

00:08Free agency, the 2025 NBA draft.

00:12I ask you a question now, not about the deal and your reaction to it,

00:15but Houston's outlook entering 2025-26.

00:20With the addition of Kevin Durant, are the Rockets the second-best team out west,

00:24only behind the Thunder?

00:26They are.

00:27Mark, when you really look at that team, getting Fred VanVleet at the point,

00:33Reed Shepard, shout-out to Reed Shepard, two games I think he played in the NBA Summer League,

00:37looked good in one of them.

00:39And then you look at that front court of Ament Thompson, Alferrin Shingun,

00:43and obviously Kevin Durant.

00:45That is a top-notch starting five.

00:47But when you go to that bench and you have Tari Eason, you have Jabari Smith,

00:52you have Clint Capella, you have Stephen Epps,

00:56you have affordable bench to go along with,

00:59who I think is one of the top five coaches in the NBA.

01:03It'll be interesting because one of the problems that Houston had,

01:06I thought, was a closer.

01:08Well, now you got your closer.

01:10So, to me, they absolutely make sense in regards to them being the best team

01:15out in the Western Conference.

01:17Let's stay out and rest really quick because I saw the graphic.

01:19And you talk about Denver.

01:22I thought getting Cam Johnson for Michael Porter Jr.

01:26is just getting a guy that may not have the ceiling of Michael Porter Jr.,

01:31but is just more consistent in his play, right,

01:34in the middle league as a stretch four.

01:36I thought that was really good.

01:37But for them, you know, to get Bruce Brown back,

01:40to get Valanciunas for the bench,

01:41we'll see what happens with Valanciunas because, you know,

01:43I think he wants more playing time.

01:45He's not going to get it there.

01:46I thought that Denver addressed their bench,

01:49which I thought was a major problem.

01:52So, to me, when you look at the Western Conference,

01:54it's OKC, it's Houston, and it's Denver right now, 1-2-3.