The 2025 NBA finals was an important lesson to other teams. The league saw how a roster with depth works, recalibrated, and rebuilt. One outcome is the situation at Houston. The Rockets already looked like championship contenders before they added Kevin Durant. Sure, Fred VanVleet’s ACL injury now changes things. But all is not lost yet. Houston might be the biggest roadblocks the Oklahoma City Thunder might face on the way to a repeat. Iman Shumpert knows a thing or two about how difficult it is to win two consecutive NBA finals and he felt so.

Before the Fred VanVleet shocker had us groaning into our hands, Iman Shumpert hosted Zach Randolph and Tony Allen on his new show, All In. The veterans were extremely hyped for what OKC has in store after winning their maiden championship.

Shumpert declared, “I like the OKC team… I get it that they’re not as flashy and acting how most NBA teams are, but it’s like actually getting to cover them and being around them. I’m like, ‘No, they’re professionals.’ They come in here and they go to work. Like they’re not here to be. I f— with them. Shai, he walks around, he does the cool clothes and all that, but that man doesn’t do any extra talking, nothing.”

And he’s saying this just before Shams Charania crowned Shai Gilgeous Alexander the ‘Best Player’ for his immense professionalism. So Shump’s observation is on point. But that temperament won’t make it possible to win a second consecutive title.

Because another young core team is in the West which just acquired some powerhouse experience. “I don’t know if they repeat win, but they’re going to repeat and get to the finals. I think I think they’re going to have a tough time dealing with KD. They’ll probably have to deal with them and Sengun,” is Shumpert’s take.

In the 2024-25 season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the NBA MVP award and was named the NBA Finals MVP, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to an NBA championship with a dominant individual season. He averaged 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.72 steals, and 1.01 blocks per game, while shooting a highly efficient 51.9% from the field.

He’s the multi-faceted authority on this. He’s been in the Finals consecutive times, lost the first time (2015) to the Warriors, and won in 2016. Through some seriously hectic matchups against the Dubs, Shumpert is aware what a menace Kevin Durant can be. And the stats prove exactly the same. KD is part of an elite group of NBA seniors who have refused to bow down to their age.

KD didn’t lose that edge in Phoenix despite the dysfunction by design in that roster. Last season, he averaged 26.6 points, six rebounds and 4.2 assists. He might be in another championship contention scenario in Houston. And while Shumpert did not anticipate the shakeup in Houston, Durant can be expected to add to a roster that already looked ready to take the next step.

Iman Shumpert couldn’t have seen the Houston problem coming

A day after Iman Shumpert’s comments, disaster struck. The Houston Rockets lost their point guard to an ACL injury. Fred VanVleet is ruled out indefinitely a month before the 2025-26 season begins. Meanwhile, OKC is out there healthy.

Like the Thunder, the Rockets also had depth. Everyone had a role and there’s now the big Q, if they can function without a point guard. Most suggest that Kevin Durant would have to fall into that role. Which was a situation he was in at Phoenix.

If you ask Shump, Slim will just do Slim. It’s the others in Houston he needs to see at work. “I need to see Houston. I ain’t going to lie. I need to see them early on to see if they got what it takes. Cuz the problem is not when a superstar is added to a team already. Like I know how well KD merged with the Warriors, but I also saw KD not really merge so well with Phoenix. You know what I’m saying? So, it’s like you definitely have to alter how you play once it comes to a superstar talent coming in.”

Shumpert said this before he would’ve heard the news that he won’t see VanVleet on the floor this season. But he’s confident about Durant and Alperen Sengun. Moreover, analysts are already predicting Amen Thompson would fall back on his old point guard ways. The Rockets’ depth blends veterans and youth around a clear core of Alperen Şengün, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson, with Kevin Durant, if healthy, anchoring the scoring load. Behind them, the team has a strong supporting cast in Cam Whitmore, Tari Eason and Jae’Sean Tate on the wings, while Steven Adams, Jock Landale and Jeff Green add frontcourt experience and toughness.

With Reed Sheppard and Aaron Holiday supplying extra backcourt depth, Houston has both developmental pieces and reliable vets, giving them balance between their long-term core and immediate contributors.

Houston is not the problem if you believe Shumpert. OKC, we have a problem.