Kevin Durant has counter after counter deep in his bag, making him one of the greatest one-on-one scorers of his time. But in a team setting, things are different. Durant encountered an aggressive scheme in the second half of the Houston Rockets' Monday night tussle against the Los Angeles Lakers, as the Lakers threw multiple defenders at the Rockets star at seemingly every turn just to get the ball out of his hands.
This gambit from the Lakers worked; Durant was quiet for the entire second half of the Rockets' 100-92 loss, scoring only two points in the second half to finish with 18 on the night. This was not at all the kind of performance Houston needed from their best scorer in a game where they were missing Alperen Sengun.
After the game, Durant reflected on what he and the Rockets should have done instead to try and combat the Lakers' double-teaming.
“I think we just got to convert. Maybe I just got to get out of the way, go to the corner, space the floor for the other guys. When I get the ball against certain teams, they're just gonna sell out,” Durant said in his postgame presser, via WorldWideWob on X (formerly Twitter).
“I'm starting to figure out that I just think I need to get out the way and let other guys dribble the ball.”
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) March 17, 2026
Rockets' youngsters have to step up to help Kevin Durant
Durant is not at all blameless; he did try to force being the play initiator for the Rockets, which played right into the Lakers' hands.
However, the Rockets' youngsters, namely Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr., and Amen Thompson have to be more proactive in getting the rock and making plays. This is going to be a learning moment for Houston, especially with there being less than a month to go before the playoffs begin.
