Kevin Durant is back in Texas, hoping this final chapter with the Houston Rockets ends better than his last few stops. But even before he’s hit the floor, NBA fans are already calling this another doomed KD run.
Sportswriter Evan Sidery reported that head coach Ime Udoka is planning to roll out what could be the biggest starting five in league history. The projected group? Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun, and Steven Adams.
While the size advantage is obvious, fans weren’t buying it. One wrote,
“another failed KD campaign [two crying emojis].”
“Only scorer is KD. This shitty lineup won’t last [crying emoji and peace sign emoji].”
Only scorer is KD This shitty lineup won’t Last😭✌🏿
— 𝑳𝒆𝒇𝒕𝒚🥷🏿⚡️ (@LeftyyGM) September 29, 2025
A third added,
“Durant at the 2 was disastrous when he was young.”
It’s a fair concern. Durant’s late career has already been messy — the failed Nets “superteam,” a brief and bumpy run with the Suns, and now a gamble in Houston. At 37, he’s still chasing ring number three, and this may be his last swing.
WNBA Fans react to Ime Udoka’s announcement on Amen Thompson
The Rockets’ ambitious experiment also comes with a twist: Fred VanVleet’s season-ending ACL tear leaves Houston without its veteran floor general. That puts the spotlight directly on 21-year-old Amen Thompson.
“You look at Amen, you look at Reed, those guys are gonna play a lot more and initiate a lot more, and handle the ball a lot,” Udoka said at media day. “And so that’ll get expedited a little bit, and you can go with a lot of different directions.”
Despite concerns, some NBA fans are hyped for Thompson’s expanded role.
“Ime Udoka would be on top of the world rn!” one wrote.
OMG!
Ime Udoka would be on top of the world rn! https://t.co/7uAZr0oTes— Zeus Jr. (@greatestalli) September 30, 2025
“Best big 3 in the league and it’s not even close.”
Credit: AP Photo. NBA Fans
Thompson’s playoff debut last spring hinted at star potential: 15.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and nearly a block per game, capped off by a 24-point, nine-rebound effort in a Game 7 loss to Golden State. His regular-season numbers weren’t far off—14.1 points, 8.2 boards, 3.8 assists—earning him a fifth-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
The Rockets haven’t had this kind of buzz since the Harden era. The question is whether Durant can finally stick the landing — or if this becomes just another “what if” on his résumé.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
