"This Has Been Horrific": Chris Broussard Laments The Rockets' "Decline" After Acquiring Kevin Durant

When Kevin Durant arrived in Houston last summer, the Rockets’ title aspirations appeared ready for takeoff. Last year, the team (powered by a young core of Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson, and Jalen Green) finished as the second seed in the Western Conference and had an epic first-round series with the Stephen Curry-led Golden State Warriors.

It appeared, then, that the Rockets were just a piece away from becoming bona fide title contenders. Lo and behold, Durant came to town. However, some analysts haven’t been impressed with the two-time NBA champion’s impact in H-Town. In fact, there are those who think that the Rockets, who finished fifth in the West this time around, fell back down to earth when KD latched onto them.

Such was the opinion of Fox Sports’ Chris Broussard, who didn’t mince his words when he talked about Durant on “The Herd” this week. “They brought Kevin Durant in to be the missing piece! The final piece to the puzzle that can get us a championship, and now they're a worse team,” Broussard said. “This has been horrific.”

The problem, Brou said, is that Durant has failed at a particular role: “Kevin Durant is an all-time great scorer, an all-time great shooter, but he’s not a leader.”

While some might argue that KD leads by example, a young squad like the Rockets could certainly use an authoritative, veteran voice that sets the team’s trajectory. Durant has the credentials, but he may have lost some credibility when he got caught up in the “KD Files” controversy right around All-Star Weekend.

On the one hand, there isn’t definitive proof that Durant was behind the burner account that made demeaning comments against players like Şengün and Jabari Smith Jr. On the other hand, the fact that Durant had admitted to using burner accounts in the past is a bad look for him amidst this latest controversy. Throw in the fact that KD has never been known to be a vocal leader like a LeBron James or a Draymond Green, and you could see why Broussard doesn’t think much of this future Hall of Famer’s leadership acumen.

Of course, actual playoff results count more than initial seedings. Durant and the Rockets are favored to win against a Lakers team that might be missing Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves for the entirety of the first round, so at the very least, Houston is in a good position to surpass their playoff benchmark from last year. The real test, then, will be against the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the second round.

By then, Durant (facing the NBA franchise that drafted him in 2007) will have an even bigger opportunity to prove that he’s the fuel propelling the Rockets to greater heights.