LeBron Warns Shorthanded Lakers: Rockets Are More Than Just Kevin Durant

LeBron downplays Durant rivalry as Lakers face depleted roster in game 1

LeBron James says the Lakers can’t just focus on Kevin Durant as they face the Rockets in Game 1, with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves sidelined.

Lakers vs Rockets, LeBron Says Houston’s ‘aggression’ a threat beyond KD. With Doncic and Reaves Out, LeBron says Lakers must respect all of Rockets...

LeBron James warned Thursday that Kevin Durant isn’t the only danger the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers must watch in their NBA playoffs first-round series against the Houston Rockets.

The series, which begins Saturday in Los Angeles, is being billed as a renewal of their rivalry that dates back to 2008 and includes three meetings in the NBA Finals.

In the 2012 Finals, James’s Miami Heat beat Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder. Five years later, Durant’s Golden State Warriors beat James’s Cleveland Cavaliers in the championship series and did it again the following season.

James has long spoken of his admiration for Durant, his teammate on two Olympic gold-medal teams.

But the 41-year-old said the Lakers can’t afford to overlook Durant’s supporting cast.

“We know that he's the head of the snake,” James said. “But it's the Houston Rockets and they have some damn good players on their team.

“It's not just a KD team. It's the whole group,” James added, calling out Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith in noting that “everyone who goes on the floor is a threat, and we have to be ready for that.”

The Rockets’ aggression could be especially tough for the Lakers to handle with key offensive weapons Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves out injured.

Doncic has been seeking treatment in Europe to speed up his return from a hamstring strain, and Reaves was also sidelined late in the regular season with an oblique muscle injury. A return date for both remains unclear.

Lakers coach JJ Redick acknowledged that puts even more responsibility on James.

“We're going to need him to facilitate. We're going to need him to score,” Redick said. “We're going to need him to defend and rebound.

LeBron James will begin his 19th trip to the NBA Playoffs, tying Karl Malone and John Stockton for the most in league history.

James is the career playoff leader in multiple categories, including points.

The Lakers host the Rockets in Game 1 on Saturday at 8:30 PM ET on ABC. pic.twitter.com/wYTkhQeMDH

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 16, 2026

“I think he recognizes the task at hand, and he's very locked in.”

Durant, who joined Houston from Phoenix last July in a blockbuster seven-team trade, also played down any personal duel with James.

“It's always great playing against great players,” Durant said. “You feel their presence on the floor even if you're not matched up with them.

“Of course from the outside looking in, casual folks who are not in the life with us every day, yeah the matchup is definitely fun. Two great players who have been in the league for a long time. But everybody who's involved in this series knows it's much deeper than that.”