凯文·杜兰特即将迎来生涯第20个赛季，历史级成就却被低估

Rockets fans have a lot of excitement around the growth of their young players, but they can't forget to appreciate the greatness of their veterans too. All-Star Kevin Durant is heading into his 20th season as an NBA player, a feat that very few players in history can claim. And the best part is that he's still producing at a very high level, while most players of his age would be on their last legs as a benchwarmer.

Kevin Durant's longevity is ridiculously impressive

Unfortunately for Durant, the offseason hype train on longevity has been dominated by LeBron James after he announced a new 2-year contact following his 23rd NBA season. Both James and Durant would be well within their rights to call it quits at this point in their careers, but they continue to be some of the best players in the league instead. And James' unmatched longevity doesn't have to take away from Durant, since the two have had very different career paths.

The main difference is that Durant suffered a major injury in 2019 when he tore his Achilles while playing with the Warriors. At that point, he was already 30 years old and suffered one of the most feared injuries in basketball. Most NBA careers would have whimpered to an end after that, but Durant went on to have multiple All-NBA seasons, including one where he nearly averaged 30 points per game (29.9 to be exact).

Durant has seen it all throughout his career and taken on multiple different personas in the public eye. He went from a beloved rising star in Oklahoma City to the league's most despised villain in Golden State and various roles since then, but his brilliance on the court always follows him. No matter what fans say about Durant, they can't take away from his accomplishments.

The Rockets need to maximize Durant while they can

Even in his one season with the Rockets, Durant hasn't really shown signs of slowing down. Last season was his age 37 season, but he still managed 78 games in the regular season and played the second-most minutes in the NBA. He did find himself unfortunately injured for most of the playoffs, but the Rockets still got a strong and durable showing from him overall.

Durant was also named an All-Star and made it onto the All-NBA Second Team. He's clearly still among the top 20 or so players in the world, so the Rockets have a responsibility to maximize their championships odds while he maintains this level. That could involve seeing younger stars improve to support Durant, or adding more depth to use him more dilligently in the regular season. But Houston can't afford to have another throwaway season like last year, where their poor point guard situation doomed them from the start.

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