Kevin Durant made his Houston Rockets preseason debut on Wednesday against the Utah Jazz. Injured teammate Fred VanVleet dropped a three-word reaction on X, when the two-time champion opened his account with his trademark mid-range jump shot.“First of many,” VanVleet tweeted, accompanied by a fire emoji.Fred VanVleet @FredVanVleetLINKFirst of many 🔥Durant scored 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting in about 23 minutes. He missed his first three shots, but then made his subsequent ones as the Rockets won the game 140-127.The former Phoenix Suns star joined Houston on July 6, in a historic seven-team trade that sent Durant and Clint Capela (via a sign-and-trade from Atlanta) to the Rockets. The Phoenix Suns received Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NBA draft and five second-round picks.Fred VanVleet reportedly tore his ACL in his right knee during an offseason workout in the Bahamas. He is expected to miss most or all of the 2025-26 season, and the Rockets reportedly plan to file for a disabled player exception (DPE) worth about $14.1 million to allow them some roster flexibility given his absence. VanVleet had recently re-signed with Houston on a two-year, $50 million deal in June 2025.Kevin Durant on his Rockets preseason debutKevin Durant reflected on his first game with the Rockets on Wednesday against the Utah Jazz. He talked about the team’s reception by his new teammates and his chemistry with center Alperen Sengun.“It felt normal,” Durant said. “I felt right at home since I came here three, four weeks ago. The guys welcomed me pretty smoothly. The coaching staff too. It just felt normal. It didn’t feel any different.”“When you’ve got your five-man that can handle at the top of the key, the spacing just opens up so much,” Kevin Durant explained. “It makes it unpredictable because he can iso, set a screen, hand it off, or we can screen for him. It throws the defense off.”Sengun had a big all-around showing as he recorded 13 points, five rebounds and 13 assists. Amen Thompson added 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists.Houston is 2-0 so far in the preseason. They won their first game 122-113 against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. Next for the Rockets is a matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.