LAUNCH SEQUENCE

Kevin Durant thought Phoenix would be his last career stop, but Houston offered something different: a deep roster, clear coaching vision and belief the dynamic scorer could ignite the Rockets and propel them to the NBA's final frontier

- BY Chris Mannix

Despite a bitter Game 7 loss in the first round of the postseason to the Warriors, the growth of the young core featuring Thompson, Eason and Şengün could be accelerated with Durant's arrival.

Last May, as Rockets players shuffled across the locker room following a Game 7 loss in the first round to the Warriors, frustrations were palpable. By any metric, the 2024-25 season had been a success. The team won 52 games (up from 41 a year before) and made the postseason for the first time since 2020. The roster was teeming with young talent, guaranteeing that Houston, which had not been relevant since James Harden's acrimonious exit nearly five years ago, would contend for years to come. In that moment, none of it mattered. "I thought we could beat anybody," says Amen Thompson. "I was confident." He pauses. "Maybe too confident."

That confidence extended up the bench. In three seasons as a head coach, Ime Udoka had established himself as something of a wunderkind. He led the Celtics to the NBA Finals in his first—and only—season in Boston. He engineered a 19-win improvement in his first year in Houston. Last season, the Rockets finished with the second-best record in the West. Failure is a part of the process for every young team. But as good as Golden State was—and with Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green the Warriors were perhaps the greatest No. 7 seed ever—the 48-year-old coach believed his team could beat them. “We had what it took,” he says. Addressing his players after the 103-89 loss that ended their season, Udoka’s message was simple: Don’t be content with just making the playoffs. Everyone—coaches included—needs to come back better.