The NBA is a star-driven league and each season is defined by the remarkable heights those stars achieve. In anticipation of the upcoming 2026–27 season, we chose five players we believe will write the story of this campaign—the names that will echo throughout history when we look back on everything that is to come.
First up was Jayson Tatum, followed by Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Edwards. Then came Cooper Flagg. Lastly, we examine the fascinating season Kevin Durant is about to embark upon.
Kevin Durant is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. This was true three years ago, it’s true today and it’ll be true 50 years from now.
The star forward’s combination of height, handles and shooting touch may very well never be seen again. His shot getting blocked is so rare it inspires an eyebrow raise from viewers. It’s a surprise every time he misses, no matter where he pulls up from. KD inspires an inevitability when the ball hits his hands that very few scorers in NBA history ever have. And from an aesthetic perspective, I dare you to find a prettier-looking jumper. It’s art in human form.
It inspires no argument to proclaim those qualities the foundation of Durant’s legacy. The rest of the conversation gets ... complicated.
Durant’s legacy in the more intangible realm of NBA lore is controversial, to say the least. His two titles with the Warriors came on the heels of the most incendiary free agency decision in league history. The struggles of every team Durant joined post-Golden State are undeniable even though Durant himself delivered every statistical promise his presence offers. He doesn’t always help his own case as a terminally online superstar prone to taking the occasional rogue shot at a former teammate for seemingly no reason.
Durant also says he doesn’t care about any of that. He is not reticent to enter debates about his career, obviously, but at the same time makes it clear at every opportunity that basketball in its purest form is his first love. Putting the ball in the hoop is his life’s work; conversations about what it’ll mean in the greater context of the NBA is not.
No matter how much he may or may not care about such things, there's no denying the opportunity in front of him to write a remarkable epilogue to a storied career.
Last season Durant’s role for the Rockets was to be the roster’s go-to bucket-getter. It’s a reflection of the fact that age has made him a slightly lesser version of the offensive terror he once was; Houston asked him to score and not much else. Famously, KD is exceptional in that arena. As such he was good for 26 points per night at nearly 50/40/90 splits—absurdly good for any player, insanely good for a 37-year-old and more than enough to earn All-NBA honors. It did not, however, prove enough to win a playoff series.
As a consequence of the Rockets’ heavy reliance on the veteran (or at least in part), he entered the first round of the 2026 postseason battling an ankle injury. When Durant was able to play, the Lakers knocked him around and cut off every safety valve when he finally got the ball. It was a masterclass in locking down an elite isolation scorer like KD, one made possible in part by Houston’s lack of other threats offensively. And so the franchise’s season ended in the first round for the second year in a row.
But over the offseason, the front office didn’t do much to fix the biggest perceived problem of a lack of offense around Durant. They added more capable offensive players to handle the ball in Marcus Smart and Bogan Bogdanovic. They’ll also welcome back Fred VanVleet from a torn ACL. But crunch time will largely run the same as last season: get Durant the ball and let him work. The Rockets clearly believe to their core that’s a winning strategy when paired with great defense, above-average athleticism across the roster and a dedication to hitting the offensive glass.
Can Durant prove them right?
It’s not entirely on him. Coach Ime Udoka has to take multiple lessons away from the postseason defeat in terms of how to design an offense that takes advantage of the attention KD demands. His teammates will need to make open shots and play with far less hesitancy than we saw against the Lakers—something that comes with experience, as well as the presence of the veteran additions mentioned above.
But Durant is, again, at the center of the Rockets’ solar system. Everything revolves around his historic ability to score the moment the ball touches his hands, no matter who is guarding him. Houston’s offensive identity is built on the fact that any shot Durant takes is a good one. Because he’s Kevin Durant.
It is rare to see an organization tie itself so completely to one specific aspect of a player’s identity. It’s particularly unusual to see it happen for a journeyman of sorts like Durant who only arrived 18 months ago. That kind of commitment is usually reserved for lifelong franchise faces and the like. Yet Durant is so undeniable an entire NBA offense can use his talents as a foundation and win 50 games.
Winning a title is another matter entirely, as we know. Advancing in postseason basketball is not just about what you do well. It’s about what you don’t do well and to what degree you can cover for that, as well as how equipped an opponent is to take advantage. The exceptions to those rules are players just like Durant, with skills that do not erode in the face of locked-in playoff opponents.
If the Rockets and KD himself prove up to the challenge this year, the way we talk about Durant will change forever. Even if it’s just a deep playoff run rather than a title it will define the late stages of his career.
Durant has already earned everything coming his way when his NBA days are done. He’s an all-time great. Yet rarely do players like him have complete control over their final years. He has a chance to author an epilogue fitting for the excellence on display over the previous 18 years—one he’s being challenged to write by the Rockets themselves.
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