Kevin Durant’s offseason work with Paolo Banchero may have looked like a simple gym session to some, but Kendrick Perkins saw something else entirely.
On “NBA Today,” the ESPN analyst praised the idea of Durant mentoring the Orlando Magic star, then immediately turned the conversation back to Houston. His point was clear: if Durant is going to pour time into a workout partner, Perkins wants that energy directed toward the players he’ll actually share the floor with this season.
“I’ve been seeing a video that’s been circulating on the internet of KD working out with Paolo Banchero, and I appreciate the mentorship. But that mentorship needs to be going toward the guys he’s actually going to be on the floor with this upcoming season,” Perkins stated.
“I want to see videos of KD in the lab with Jabari Smith; I want to see videos of Sengun and Kevin Durant working out. That’s what I want to see.”
Perkins’ criticism lands in a Houston context that has already been messy. Durant is the veteran presence on a young roster, and the Rockets brought him in with title contention in mind. That makes his role bigger than scoring and shot-making - it also puts the spotlight on how he helps steady the group around him.
Houston’s season started with promise, as the Rockets looked like one of the league’s best teams early. But injuries chipped away at that momentum as the year went on.
The biggest blow came when Durant’s burner account controversy surfaced. Posts that called out teammates like Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. stirred up enough noise to damage the team’s chemistry and throw the season off course. Even after reports tying Durant to the account were shut down, the fallout had already taken hold.
The Rockets finished the regular season 52-30 and fifth in the West, then were knocked out by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. Durant also dealt with injuries in the postseason, so seeing him moving freely in offseason workouts is at least a positive sign.
Still, Perkins’ larger point hangs over Houston: if the Rockets want this thing to work, the chemistry has to be built somewhere, and ideally it starts with Durant and the teammates he’s expected to lead. It could also be that people are making too much of the Banchero workout. After all, it’s the offseason, and players aren’t always constantly around their teammates.
Even so, with last season’s issues still fresh, Durant taking a more visible role in working with Houston’s core would only help calm the noise.
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