The Los Angeles Lakers were flying. A nine-game winning streak in March, Luka Dončić averaging 37.5 points and looking like an MVP front-runner, and the Lakers sitting comfortably in third place in the West. Then came the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2. Dončić went down with a Grade 2 hamstring strain. Austin Reaves followed with a Grade 2 oblique injury.
And just like that, a team built around two dynamic playmakers has neither of them available with the playoffs a week away. LeBron James, at 41, now shoulders the burden of keeping this season alive. But former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins sees no path forward.
Why Kendrick Perkins Believes the Lakers’ Season Is Over
Perkins delivered his blunt assessment on ESPN’s “First Take” this week, declaring the Lakers’ season over before the postseason even begins.
“The Lakers are dead bird tall grass,” Perkins said. “Like this season is over. Their first-round exit is no way in hell. You’re gonna ask a 41-year-old LeBron James to come in and lead in this tough Western Conference, to try to lead this Laker team without Luka and Austin Reaves? When the series starts, it ain’t happening.”
The numbers indicate the magnitude of the challenge. Dončić leads the league in scoring at 33.5 points per game while adding 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists.
Without him, the Lakers are 9-8 this season. They’ve struggled to maintain consistency since losing both guards, and the offense that looked unstoppable in March has become disjointed.
Perkins went further, urging the Lakers to protect their franchise cornerstone rather than risk his long-term health. “And to be honest with you, if I was the Lakers, I would just go ahead and shut Luka down for the season.”
Beyond the injuries, Perkins pointed to fractures within the locker room as evidence that the Lakers aren’t built to survive this moment. “This team is dysfunctional. The role players and JJ Redick are not on one accord. JJ Redick has been calling out his role players time and time again, from Deandre Ayton. We saw him and Jarred Vanderbilt getting into it. So again, it’s a lot of dysfunction in that locker room.”
Kendrick Perkins says the Lakers are cooked and need to shut Luka down for the season:
“The Lakers are dead bird, tall grass. This season is over. They’re a first round exit. It’s no way in hell you’re gonna ask a 41 year old LeBron James to lead in this tough western conference… pic.twitter.com/BXfPe3waga
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) April 11, 2026
Perkins was referring to the heated moment after Redick benched Vanderbilt in the second quarter of the Lakers’ Tuesday matchup against the Thunder, as well as the coach’s blunt message to Ayton after the game. These incidents have raised questions about team chemistry at the worst possible time. Perkins acknowledged Redick still has the trust of his stars but suggested the supporting cast isn’t buying in.
“Does JJ Redick have the ears of his superstars? Yes. But the others that are available for him right now, and when you talk about going against a Rockets team that’s gonna hang their hat on the defensive side of things, that has the defensive personnel, I’m looking at the gentlemen’s sweep.”
The Lakers appear headed for a 4-vs-5 matchup with the Rockets, and Perkins sees that as a death sentence for a depleted roster.
The Rockets rank among the league’s better defensive teams and carry the kind of length and physicality that could suffocate the Lakers without their primary creators. James can keep games competitive, but asking him to carry this group through a seven-game series against a hungry Rockets team indeed feels somewhat unrealistic.
