With the 2025-2026 NBA season fast approaching, it is time to start thinking about which Rockets players could take home an NBA award next season. The most coveted regular season award is the Most Valuable Player Award (MVP), and for the first time in a while, the Rockets have two players that could win the MVP, those being forward Alperen Sengun and newly acquired forward Kevin Durant.
The Case for Kevin Durant
Durant is the more well-known player and has an NBA pedigree. At 37 years old, Durant is still among the NBA’s top
scorers and was named MVP in 2014. His talent is acknowledged throughout the league, and he is regarded as an established superstar. After being traded to the Houston Rockets, Durant is anticipated to be the team’s top option and a prominent scorer, providing him with the statistical opportunities required for an MVP campaign. Favorable odds: Although Durant is a long shot (+5000 odds from Odds Shark), sportsbooks have included him on their list of MVP candidates. This indicates that he is in the discourse, even though it represents a challenging route. What perhaps sets Durant apart from Sengun the most is the narrative. Durant’s story of a legendary player revitalizing a team and excelling in his later years will be captivating if he can stay healthy and guide the Rockets to a high seed in the stacked Western Conference.
The Case for Alperen Sengun
Alperen Sengun is a rising young star who has demonstrated enormous potential and has been compared to other great big men who can play, such as Nikola Jokić. With outstanding numbers of 19.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game the previous season, he was selected to the NBA All-Star team.
Compared to Durant, Şengun has incredibly long odds, which are around +35000, for the 2025–26 MVP award. This suggests that it would be a major upset if he were to win MVP. Additonally,
with the acquisition of Kevin Durant, Şengun is no longer the only superstar. The Rockets would probably need to finish in the top two seeds in the Western Conference, and Şengun would need to overtake Durant as the team’s best player to have a strong case for MVP. Although it is unlikely Sengun could pass up Durant in MVP voting if Durant misses a lot of time because of injury, while the Rockets are still winning at a high level, it would be Şengun’s most likely route to MVP consideration. After that, Şengun would need to lead the team with a standout campaign.
With all that said, I could easily see Sengun surpassing Durant if he takes yet another leap this upcoming season. So far in Eurobasket, Sengun has looked insanely good as Turkey has cruised to an undefeated record in group play, and will face Sweden in the knockout round Saturday, September 6 at 4:00 in the morning. Make sure to keep an eye on the MVP race once the season starts, and as always, go Rockets!
