Kendrick Perkins Compares Kevin Durant and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder Teams Without Hesitation

A key player on the Thunder was starting center Kendrick Perkins, now an ESPN NBA analyst. 

While in town for the Western Conference Finals series between the Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves, Perkins participated in an interview with a local TV station. 

During the interview, he was asked about the differences between the Oklahoma City team from his playing days and the current squad. 

Perkins noted that during the Durant era, some players had personal agendas. In contrast, he believes the current team's players support one another, resulting in better team chemistry.

"The difference is you don't find a group of young guys that actually play agenda-free basketball, because you have so many times when guys are young in their careers that they want the individual accolades," Perkins said. 

"I don't see that in this young team. I see a team that is proud, that is happy for one another, even when things are not going well."

Perkins highlighted two examples of how the Thunder have developed a strong team dynamic. The first example is backup center Jaylin Williams. 

Although Williams played during the Denver Nuggets series, he isn’t seeing any playing time in the current series. Nevertheless, he remains engaged, cheering and clapping from the bench.

The second example is Isaiah Joe, a three-point specialist who did not play against Denver but has been getting minutes in this series. Perkins believes the players are happy with each other's success, which he feels sets this team apart from the Durant-led teams.

Perkins and Durant have exchanged comments on social media in the past, voicing their disagreements with each other. Recently, Perkins referred to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the best Thunder player of all time, should he win a championship. 

He noted that Gilgeous-Alexander has joined elite company by averaging 30 points per game over three consecutive seasons while shooting over 50%.

Perkins also mentioned Gilgeous-Alexander as a potential MVP candidate, an honor both Durant and Westbrook previously won during their time in Oklahoma City. 

However, Perkins feels that Gilgeous-Alexander will be the one to lead the Thunder to an NBA championship and win the Finals MVP, something neither Durant nor Westbrook achieved.

Oklahoma City will face the Timberwolves in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.