NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins says Phoenix Suns fans are seeing ‘polished version’ of Kevin Durant

NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins says Phoenix Suns fans are seeing ‘polished version’ of Kevin Durant

All right the suns are riding high right now Kevin Durant’s playing out of his mind it’s pretty good time to talk to Kendrick Perkins ESPN NBA analyst obviously played in the league had a lot of success played with Kevin Durant Oklahoma City joins us right now in the

Arizona Sports Line Kendrick thanks for the time how are you doing I’m doing appreciate y have absolutely yeah thank you perk um all right perk let’s just start with the game last night I I saw your Tweet about Joel andb and then later on you tweeted

That KD must have seen that because went off in the second half what what did you see from KD in the in the second half of that game KD being KD and and and I say that because I know it sounds simple and just

A e a lazy take but KD at the beginning of the Season he was balling and then all of a sudden it seemed like he was trying to take a back seat or trying to sacrifice to let you know dbook and and Bradley Bill start to cook and that’s

Why not that’s that’s not the reason that KD was traded to Phoenix that’s not why he was bought to Phoenix he was bought to be that dude now you know at times you know because KD is so efficient sometimes he could do that where he you know first first second

Maybe Midway through the third he could let them C you know let them get off and then all of a sudden he takes over the game but when KD takes over the game from start to finish it’s so much better for the Phoenix Sons it’s so much better

For Frank Bogle it’s so much better for that offense right because what what people don’t realize is he’s one of the most underrated Playmakers in the game today for us making guys around him better perk when do you know you know I know that you’ve been around him an

Awful lot you’ve watched him but when do you know that Kevin Durant is just going to go off in a game is is there any type of indicator that you can see from KD oh yeah yeah you could tell his his level of aggression pickup meaning he’s

Going to call for the ball differently he’s going to want to push the ball in transition he’s going to search out he he’ll even break plays to go and get the ball when he’s ready to take over a game and and a lot of people you know I get a

Lot of criticism because you know I always say he’s the greatest in my opinion he’s the greatest scorer to ever touch the damn basketball like you know we’ll never see another Kevin Durant a guy that you know has zero flaws offensively that that that’s efficient

Like that right we we we saw Jordan Do It um but outside of that a guy that shoot perimeter shots contested twos contested threes and to shoot with the efficiency that he does we we haven’t seen that but you when you see Kevin Durant like searching breaking plays

Clapping for the ball holding this spot demanding that’s when he’s ready to take over we’re talking to Kendrick Perkins uh you know Kendrick when you watch him now is he different at all than he was when you played alongside him in Oklahoma City I mean he just no no like you know

I always you know I told this story once about when I first got to Oklahoma and I was I I used to watch KD uh you know after practice and how he would work on his game and how he would have three or four coaches sending double and triple teams at them from

Different angles and him working on getting to his spots and rising up over people and and figuring out a way to maneuver through defense to get through his spots with in and outs and you know step backs and things to that nature um I I think you know right now I was just

Saying the polished version of Kevin Durant right like it’s just it’s just when he’s in that zone everyone that’s watching is like this going in right and he he believes it’s going in um I mean it’s just you know it was fun to be a to

To to to share the floor with him it’s even it’s even better to watch him you know as a fan and a and just a student of the game so perk what do you think of the Phoenix Suns overall based on what you have seen so far obviously right now

They got six game winning streak going on but what do you think about the Suns overall going forward yeah you know what I think they’re they’re going to be fine you you know the thing about the Phoenix Suns the word trust come to mind right and they they they need to trust Frank

Voger Frank voger right Frank voger is a hell of a coach like Frank voger knows what the hell he’s doing we talking about winning the championship with the Lakers you know managing so many egos on that team when you think about Braun ad Rondo uh uh javil McGee Dwight Howard

Right managing that many Egos and being able to get it done okay you think about Frank vogle and and when he was the head coach of the Pacers you know the only thing that was in his way was LeBron dwade and BOS and even even then he was

On their Hill was like a pair of socks you know and I think I think the more that KD right KD trust Frank vogle the rest will follow D Booker follow Bradley Bill will follow grayon Allen will follow and I think you know the success has been obviously Kevin Durant taking

Over the game but I think more so it’s just you can start to see the spirit there right I would like to see a little bit more out of nage uh on the defensive side of things like really really embracing that defensive role like how Anthony Davis has done or you know guys

To that nature was like okay yeah like I’m about to be a rim protector I’m about to be great in to pick a roll I’m about to do all the little things and I think I think he’s taking major steps but you know in order for them to get

Where they’re trying to go and that’s the finals nurish is going to be the key right like you can’t play Kevin Durant the five if you have to match up with a with a A yage or you can’t play Kevin Durant at the five if if you got a match

Up with a car Anthony towns and and a Rudy goldbert you can’t play them at the five if you got a match up with a zubac Plumley and you know like just the physicality so I mean the more that nurkic is engaged defensively and being

A star in this role and the more that they continue to trust Frank vogle the better the Phoenix Suns are going to be and I think that’s been the turning point for them over this WN this six game win streak that on we’re talking to Kendrick Perkins uh perk just wondering

About your opinion on you know having a big three in 2024 do you think that’s still a way to to go all the way and win a title is one of the ways right like you can’t be mad at it I understand a lot of you know a lot of people in the

Basketball World say oh the Phoenix Sun is top heavy well the top heavy look pretty damn good you know I mean if you walking at the beach the top part look really damn good if you looking at it man so when you think about you know just what what Bradley

Bill and de book could bring to the table and how Frank voger is still working through it right he’s still it’s still a working process you know he can figure out different ways to stagger minutes he can figure out different ways to to play a Twan game with with with

With Devin book and and KD or uh Bradley Bill and KD towards the end of games when you know it get down to a POS possession by possession game so you know I I I just think like you know the Phoenix Suns have underrated pieces now

Are the young guys that’s at the wing position are they going to continue to grow right and continue to be those stars and in their roles that’s the key piece but I tell you what Grayson Allen man he’s been balling and I said this when he was you know when he when he

Left the Bucks I said the Bucks are going to miss him not just because of his spacing his capability of spacing the floor and knocking down threes and being an offensive threat but he played with a a certain type of tenacity that you just can’t teach he got a edge about

Himself you know what perk you love to talk about physicality I love listening to you because of that you have an intensity level and a background in physicality and it’s something that I absolutely truly enjoy especially when you’re competing at the highest level our species can generate did you ever

Play the blood sport did you ever play football I did I did when I did I well actually I played in middle school and and I played my freshman year in high school and football was actually my first love I played defense I I was I

Played and and I remember my a high school basketball coach came out and he said uh look around you see any other 610 guys out here I was like I’m the only 161 guy in the school he was like I advise you to get back up in this gym he

May be turned in my equipment so that was the end of that but you had a mind for that right perk I mean you had a mind for that yeah yeah but still you know down in Texas with you know the whole Friday Night Lights and and being

Able to be a part of that was like uh you know and I I actually love football the contact but you know a lot of if you if you look a lot of the physical players that are around the league they play football and some point of their

Life yeah when they were young y it just bring out a different type of physicality and mindset yep perk this was awesome man thank you love talking to you buddy I appreciate y’all thanks for having me and and happy New Year having told out right on big per right back at you

Thank you bro it’s Kendrick Kendrick Perkins joining us right there on the Arizona sports that’s some good stuff there we’re going to have to revisit some got a mentality that I enjoy yeah that that doesn’t uh surprise me at all actually thanks for watching wolf and

Luke tap to see more and click the button in the middle to subscribe to Arizona Sports

ESPN NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins joined Ron Wolfley and Luke Lapinski to discuss the Phoenix Suns and Kevin Durant.

Video: Felisa Cárdenas and Jeremy Schnell/Arizona Sports
Photos: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

Subscribe to the Arizona Sports daily newsletter: https://bit.ly/3QWcj1x
Read articles from Arizona Sports: https://arizonasports.com/
Download the Arizona Sports app: https://arizonasports.com/the-arizona-sports-98-7-fm-app/
Sign up for texts from Arizona Sports: https://arizonasports.com/text-alerts/
Listen live to Arizona Sports: https://arizonasports.com/listen-live/
Follow the team: https://bit.ly/3R0PIAJ

ARIZONA SPORTS SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArizonaSports/
X: https://x.com/azsports
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@arizonasports987
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arizsports/

ARIZONA SPORTS PODCASTS: https://arizonasports.com/category/podcasts/