Not even 12 hours after the final buzzer sounded from Houston’s game five victory, Shams Charania of ESPN broek the unfortunate news that Kevin Durant will be missing Game 6 of the Rockets-Lakers with a bone bruise on his ankle that he sustained in Game 2. The usual return timeline for a bone bruise is two weeks, so it is very likely Durant will not return at all this series.
Thankfully, Houston has looked pretty good — and more like last year’s team — without Durant on the floor, and that should continue. In Durant’s absence, members of the young core like Jabari Smith jr, Alperen Sengun, Tari Eason, and Reed Sheppard have stepped up in big ways. In fact, Kevin Durant’s injury has saved the Rockets in this series in various ways. This is not a jab at Durant, but rather a credit to Ime Udoka for finally making the necessary adjustments. The Rockets are really easy to defend because Ime Udoka is so obstinate about how he employs Durant.
In the one game he played, Durant committed NINE turnovers to a squad not known for its defense. With Sheppard, Thompson, Eason, Smith, and Sengun in the starting lineup, the Rockets are much different team to defend using the strategies the Lakers employed against Durant when he was the primary ball handler. The young Rockets put a different kind of defensive strain on individual Laker defenders due to their tenacity and athleticism.
There were just 11 total team turnovers for the Rockets in Game 5, and Durant nearly matched that himself in the one game he played due to Udoka’s strategy. Sheppard, Smith, Eason, and Holiday combined for 12 assists to 1 turnover, while Sengun and Thompson combined for the bulk of the team turnovers with 8 total between them.
In my oppinon, Durant’s continued absence will allow the starting lineup of Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith jr, Tari Eason, and Alperen Sengun to continue building chemistry, which will be beneficial, as this lineup has performed the best for the Rockets this series. Additionally, I feel that Durant’s injury really forced Ime Udoka to make adjustments, as now he does not have Kevin Durant to bail out his lack of offensive creativity.
The Kevin Durant-less Rockets will play Game 6 in Houston with a tip-off of 8:30 pm. As always, be sure to check back at the Dream Shake for pre- and post-game coverage.
