Where would the Houston Rockets be without Amen Thompson and Kevin Durant?
Thompson and Durant have played a key role for the Rockets this season, helping lead them to consecutive playoff berths for the first time since the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. While Thompson and Durant have both been reliable options for Houston, long-term injuries to key contributors like Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams have forced the two to play heavy minutes, the most in the NBA.
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League leaders in total minutes
No other players have appeared more on an NBA court this season than Thompson and Durant. Thompson leads the league in minutes played with 2,763, while Durant is not far behind with the second-most minutes played at 2,660.
While Thompson’s availability is impressive, Durant’s is on another level. The 37-year-old is in his 19th season, but even considering his previous injury history, it hasn’t impacted him this season. It’s also worth noting that Jabari Smith Jr. has played the sixth-most minutes, giving Houston three players in the top 10.
Thompson, Durant and Smith Jr. deserve their credit for being some of the most reliable players in the NBA this season. Still, head coach Ime Udoka also deserves criticism for not managing Houston’s rotation better. The Rockets are the only team with multiple players in the top 10, let alone three.
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Heading into the playoffs, that inflexibility and heavy regular-season burden could hurt the Rockets. General manager Rafael Stone has already hinted that Houston is prioritizing next season, so if that’s true, Houston has to focus on improving its depth this offseason to keep its top players fresh.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant lead NBA in total minutes played