The Los Angeles Lakers have been written off by most analysts. With Luka Doncic receiving treatment in Europe and unlikely to be ready for the first round, and Austin Reaves expected to miss the entire opening series, the burden falls on a 41-year-old LeBron James to carry a depleted roster against the Houston Rockets.
The consensus is clear: the Lakers have no shot.
But Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett isn’t closing the door on the Lake Show. And his reasoning has everything to do with the flaws he sees in Houston.
“Man, I’ve seen the Rockets play this year,” Garnett said. “They wasn’t polished. They go to KD. They got some good wins, but they’re a s–t show sometimes. And they don’t have direction, bro. They are playing well. I also saw them at a point where they was just in shambles about three weeks ago. That’s just what I’m saying.”
For a Lakers team that needs any sign of hope, Garnett’s assessment is a lifeline.
The Rockets’ Missing Piece: A Point Guard Problem
Much was expected from the Rockets this season after they acquired Kevin Durant during the offseason. Houston was the No. 2 team in the West last season but was ousted in the first round by the Golden State Warriors because it lacked a veteran presence and a closer.
Durant was supposed to be the final piece of the puzzle—the guy who could take over in crunch time and lead a young team deep into the playoffs.
But then point guard Fred VanVleet tore his ACL before the start of the season. The Rockets have played the entire campaign without a true point guard.
During the regular season, they got away with it. Durant, Jalen Green, and Alperen Sengun shared playmaking duties. The offense was often disjointed, but the talent was enough to win games.
The playoffs are a different animal.
Garnett’s Warning: “You Can’t Have KD Initiating the Offense”
Garnett went on to explain exactly why the Rockets’ lack of a point guard will be exposed in the postseason.
“Let me tell you what the playoffs are going to expose – leadership,” Garnett said. “If you’re coming down, asking KD to make decisions on the game when he should be the one either receiving it or initiating it. You can’t have him initiating offense, bro. He needs to be the one coming off the double.
“You have to have an IQ to run the game. You got to have a man right there running the game and making decisions. Who’s gonna get us in offense? Who’s going to organize us?”
It is a fair question. Durant is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, but he has never been a primary playmaker. He thrives when he can catch the ball in his spots, rise up, and shoot. Asking him to initiate offense, to read defenses, to make split-second decisions as a ball handler, is not maximizing his strengths.
Perk’s Take: “My-Turn Basketball”
Garnett is not alone in his assessment. Last month, ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins said the same thing about the Rockets’ offense.
“I was watching the game with my sons, the Rockets’ offense was so bad I told him to go to bed ’cause I didn’t want them picking up bad habits,” Perkins said on the “Road Trippin” podcast. “It is disturbing to watch them play offense. It’s a bunch of my-turn-basketball, low-IQ basketball.”
Perkins elaborated on Durant’s role: “And KD has to be the primary ball handler, ’cause outside Sengun, he’s actually their best decision maker, like when it comes to creating for others.”
That is not a recipe for playoff success. The playoffs are about execution, about running sets, about making the right read every time down the floor. “My-turn basketball” works in the regular season when the defense is less focused. In a seven-game series against a disciplined opponent, it gets exposed.
The Lakers’ Path: Defense and Disruption
As Garnett himself admitted, the Rockets have been on a roll as of late, winning eight of their last nine games. They are talented. They have Durant. They have home-court advantage.
But they are also vulnerable.
If LeBron and what is left of the Lakers can defend as they have in their last couple of games, they might just do enough to rattle the Rockets’ shaky offense. The Lakers have shown stretches of elite defense this season, and without Doncic and Reaves, their game plan will have to be built entirely on that end of the floor.
Slow the game down. Make Houston run half-court sets. Force Durant to be a playmaker rather than a scorer. Dare the other Rockets to beat them.
It is a long shot. But it is a path.
The Verdict: A Glimmer of Hope
The Lakers are massive underdogs. LeBron James is 41 years old. The roster is decimated by injuries. The Rockets have more talent, more depth, and home-court advantage.
But Kevin Garnett sees something in Houston that gives him pause. A lack of direction. A shaky offense. A team that was “in shambles” just three weeks ago.
The playoffs are about matchups, about weaknesses, about finding the one flaw you can exploit. The Rockets have a glaring one: no point guard, no offensive organization, no one to run the show.
LeBron James has made a career out of exploiting weaknesses. If anyone can find a way to rattle the Rockets and pull off an upset, it is him.
KG isn’t closing the door on the Lakers. And neither should you.