Kevin Durant has a ton of one-on-one counters, making him one of the greatest one-on-one scorers of all time. But things are different in a team setting. Durant faced an offensive scheme in the second half of the Houston Rockets' Monday night contest against the Los Angeles Lakers, as the Lakers threw multiple defenders at the Rockets star at every turn to get the ball out of his hands.
This ploy of the Lakers worked; Durant remained quiet throughout the second half of the Rockets' 100–92 loss, scoring just two points in the second half and finishing with 18 on the night. This was not at all the kind of performance that 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 were doing should have done instead To try and counter the Lakers' double-teaming.
"I think we just have to convert. Maybe I just have to move out of the way, go to the corner, make space for other guys. When I get the ball against some teams, they're just going to sell out," Durant said in his postgame presser, via WorldwideWeb on X (formerly Twitter).
"I'm starting to understand that I feel like I need to get out of the way and let other people dribble the ball."
- Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) 17 March 2026
The Rockets' youth will have to step up to help Kevin Durant.
Durant is not innocent at all; He attempted to become a game starter for the Rockets, which went straight into the Lakers' hands.
However, the Rockets' youngsters, namely Reed Shepard, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson, will have to be more active in receiving the rock and making plays. This is going to be a learning moment for Houston, especially with less than a month until the playoffs begin.
