Amen Thompson led the NBA in minutes at 2,953 — Rockets duo went 1-2

HOUSTON — Oct. 15, 2026 — Amen Thompson led the NBA in minutes played in 2025-26. Per Basketball-Reference, the Rockets guard logged 2,953 minutes in 79 games, 113 more than teammate Kevin Durant (2,840 in 78 games). Houston owned the top two spots on the minutes board, and Jabari Smith Jr. (2,705) ranked fifth — three Rockets in the top five.

Thompson also ranked second in minutes per game at 37.4, behind only Tyrese Maxey’s 38.0. Durant was third at 36.4. The gap was durability plus role: Thompson started all 79 games he played, missed three, and still outworked every other qualified player on the sheer volume of court time.

What those minutes produced

The workload was not empty. Thompson averaged 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals on .534 shooting and a .594 true shooting percentage. He finished with 10.3 win shares (fifth in the NBA), 6.5 offensive and 3.8 defensive, and drew Defensive Player of the Year votes (eighth on Basketball-Reference’s awards list).

Durant, at 37, still finished second in total minutes and fourth in win shares (10.7) while averaging 26.0 points. The Rockets finished 52-30 and fifth in the West before losing a first-round series to the Lakers, 2-4. Thompson’s playoff line ran even hotter on minutes: 44.0 per game across the six games.

A Rockets minutes stack

Desmond Bane (2,756) and Toumani Camara (2,731) took third and fourth in the league, so Houston’s 1-2-5 on the minutes leaderboard sat inside a crowded top five. Smith’s 2,705 closed the Rockets trio. No other club placed three players that high on the total-minutes list.

When the Rockets announced Thompson’s extension, the club account put the season line in one card — including the 37.4 minutes per game:

OFFICIAL: The Houston Rockets today announced they have signed guard Amen Thompson to a contract extension.

In 2025-26, Thompson started all 79 games he played while averaging 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.51 steals in 37.4 minutes per game. pic.twitter.com/TUmDoZBXCC

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) September 3, 2026

The same motor showed up in highlight form all year. The league account caught one of the steal-and-finish sequences that made the minutes look earned rather than padded:

AMEN THOMPSON STEAL.

AMEN THOMPSON SHOWTIME. pic.twitter.com/7f5TW6KEwb

— NBA (@NBA) April 4, 2026

What it means for 2026-27

Leading the league in minutes at age 22-23 is a workload bet as much as a production bet. Thompson already ranked second in minutes per game and first in total minutes while posting All-Defense-level steal and rebound rates for a primary ball-handler. Keep him near 37 minutes with Durant still logging 36-plus, and Houston’s closing groups will again be built on two of the league’s heaviest minute-eaters. The regular season opens Oct. 20 against Dallas.