The Rockets are set to face the Lakers in the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs, which begin on April 18. 37-year-old Kevin Durant and the Rockets are considered to be the favorites in this matchup, since the Lakers are severely shorthanded for the first round, and may have to play without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves for the entire series.
Kendrick Perkins, who was Durant’s teammate on the Thunder, appeared on ESPN’s NBA Today and explained why he believes Kevin Durant has the most pressure on his shoulders among anyone in this matchup.
“At this point, the Lakers are playing with house money. Nothing to lose, everything to gain. This is all about the Rockets. This is all about Kevin Durant. This is a legacy moment for KD.”
“Like you, we’ve got to think about this for a second. A Disaster in Brooklyn, a disaster in Phoenix. All of a sudden, the Rockets make a trade. They traded Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks; they had the number two seed last year, and all of a sudden, you get this matchup, which is favorable for the Rockets, although they don’t have homecourt advantage,” Perkins said.
“KD, you better not let a 41-year-old LeBron James-led team beat you in this series. Damn it. They’d better not get two games. Real talk. This is more about Kevin Durant and why he was brought to Houston.”
“The only person that they’re missing is Steven Adams. Other than that, you have Sengun, who is one of the best bigs in the game. Amen Thompson is available, too. Van Vleet is out. But still in all, when you look at the paper and the way that the Rockets have been playing over the last what, two or three weeks, damn it, I ain’t trying to hear nothing. KD, all eyes are on you,” concluded Perkins.
At age 41, LeBron James will have to carry the Lakers’ offense almost single-handedly against the Rockets. Perkins feels that Durant should take it upon himself not to allow him to take over the series.
Durant and Perkins were teammates when they were together on the Thunder’s roster from 2011 to 2015. Perkins was probably one of the many people who were unhappy when the former MVP left to join the Warriors, which is probably why he is questioning his legacy at the tail end of his career.
But one cannot deny that this series means more to how people will remember Durant’s career in the NBA. He is seen as the man who joined the team he could not beat just to form an unbeatable dynasty to win two championships over three seasons.
Ever since he left the Warriors to join the Nets and subsequently the Suns, he has suffered one setback after another, including several upsets in the playoffs, and has never gone beyond the second round.
The 37-year-old veteran superstar is currently averaging 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists (52.0 FG%) in year 18 of his NBA career. Still performing at a high level and despite being fifth all-time in the league in scoring, Durant’s legacy has a major asterisk in public perception, even though it may not personally matter to him.
However, since he hasn’t won a championship over several seasons and has attempted it with multiple teams, a series win against a marquee matchup like LeBron James in their fourth playoff battle could be the start of rewriting the public narrative on Durant’s legacy. As competitive as Durant is, even he is probably hungry to compete for a championship once again.
And if he wins a championship with the Rockets, it would certainly add another major milestone to a future Hall of Famer’s career. Hence, I am inclined to agree with Perkins that all eyes are certainly on the 37-year-old superstar for this series while the Lakers remain the underdogs.
