Many have called Kevin Durant the most gifted scorer in NBA history. But the question now is: how much longer can he keep it going?
Now 37 years old, Durant is quietly posting some of the worst offensive numbers of his career, which has been overshadowed by the Rockets’ early success. Houston currently sits at 12-4, the fourth-best record in the league, with the NBA’s second-best offensive rating.
Yet Durant is averaging his fewest points per game since his rookie season… back when Seattle still had an NBA team. His field-goal percentage is at its lowest mark since 2011, when Durant was just 22 years old. It’s also the first time since that season that he’s shooting under 50% from the floor. His effective field-goal percentage has dipped to its lowest point since 2011, as well, while his three-point percentage is the lowest since 2019.
While Durant’s mastery of the long two remains a weapon, it no longer carries the same value in today’s analytically driven NBA. Players who lean more heavily on three-pointers (think Ray Allen during his final years in Miami) tend to age more gracefully, avoid wear-and-tear, and extend their careers.
The numbers haven’t favored Durant so far. And they come with a caveat: the Rockets have yet to play a back-to-back and have played the fewest games in the league. Will his production improve as the season wears on and as the schedule inevitably becomes tougher for a 37-year-old to navigate?
Declines rarely follow a clean arc. They can be gradual or arrive abruptly, without much warning. Durant has already missed time in five of the last six seasons, which could be subtle warning signs of his body slowing down. This is an unavoidable reality for all athletes, no matter how well they take care of themselves.
History might not offer much encouragement either. No star Durant’s age has ever led a team to an NBA championship. The closest example would be Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who did win three titles after turning 37. However, by then, Magic Johnson was leading the way for Los Angeles. When 37-year-old Tim Duncan won his final championship, he was outscored by the rising Kawhi Leonard.
This may become the blueprint for Durant in Houston. The Rockets are loaded with young talent and depth, and they’ve kept the offense humming even during Durant’s recent absence.
The irony is that if Durant is, in fact, slowing down, the Rockets may not need the star to be the scorer he once was anyway. Maybe Alperen Sengun can be Houston’s version of Magic Johnson, so to speak, to Durant’s Abdul-Jabbar.
