Luka Doncic Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Lakers' Luka Doncic’s Injury Triggers Kendrick Perkins Bold Take

Originally posted on Los Angeles Lakers on SI
By Jayesh Pagar | Last updated Apr 12, 2026 8:00 AM ET

Everyone seems to have an opinion on the Los Angeles Lakers right now, and most of them are not good. With Luka Doncic out and Austin Reaves unlikely to suit up for Game 1 heading into the 2026 NBA Playoffs, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins decided to say out loud what a lot of people are thinking.

On First Take, via a clip shared by NBA Courtside on X, Perkins did not hold back on where he thinks this Lakers season is headed.

"The Lakers are dead bird tall grass. Like this season is over. They're a first round exit. There's no way in hell you're going to 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 and win the series. Nah, it ain't happening. And to be honest with you, if I was the Lakers, I would just go ahead and shut Luka down for the season."Kendrick Perkins

Perkins also pushed back on any hope of Doncic returning mid-series. Even if he does come back, he said, a hamstring is not something you rush. Soft tissue injuries do not care about playoff schedules.

"Like all this speculations, if he could return, I heard you say, 'I would try to stretch this series out so that Luka could come back.' Even if he does decide to come back, he's still not going to be 100%. We know how delicate it is when you talk about these soft tissue injuries and you talk about hamstrings."Kendrick Perkins

“The Lakers are dead bird, tall grass. This season is over. They’re a first round exit”

Temu 50 Cent and career average 5.4 PPG Kendrick Perkins discuss lakers

Even if we advance to the second round lets shut Luka down..

Horrible take

(Via @FirstTake) pic.twitter.com/epeReNqk4W
— SleeperLakers (@SleeperLakers) April 11, 2026

Kendrick Perkins Points to Lakers Locker Room Problems

But for Perkins, the injuries are not even the whole story. He thinks the locker room itself is broken, and the Jarred Vanderbilt situation is just one example of that.

"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 Jared Vanderbilt getting into it."Kendrick Perkins

Depending on how the final seeding shakes out, the Lakers could face either the Houston Rockets or the Minnesota Timberwolves in round one, and Perkins is not optimistic about either matchup

"When you talk about going against a Rockets team that's going to hang their hat on the defensive side of things, that has the personnel, I'm looking at a gentlemen's suite where they possibly could get swept."Kendrick Perkins

Perkins made his call, and the injury reality makes it hard to dismiss. The first round alone is a steep climb without Doncic and Reaves. But if the Lakers somehow find a way through, the bigger question becomes whether either star is healthy enough to make a difference in round two.

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