Lakers Marcus Smart Has a Brutally Honest Take on Facing Kevin Durant

The Los Angeles Lakers enter the 2026 NBA Playoffs as the No. 4 seed in the West, set to face Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets in the first round. It is not going to be easy, and Marcus Smart is already well aware of that.

In a postgame media session shared by ESPN's Dave McMenamin on X, Lakers guard Marcus Smart was asked what it's like to guard Kevin Durant in the playoffs.

"Brutal. It's brutal, man. It's brutal. I mean, dude is one of the greatest to play this game and he moves like a guard with a big man's body. It's hard. It's definitely tough, and he's gonna make it tough for us, and we're gonna make it tough for him."
Marcus Smart

Q: What’s it like facing KD in the playoffs?
Marcus Smart: “Brutal. It’s brutal, man. It’s brutal. I mean, dude is one of the greatest to play this game and he moves like a guard with a big man's body …” pic.twitter.com/QCuqWMbc9R
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 13, 2026

The Lakers are heading into the postseason without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, both most probably out for the first round. Los Angeles finished 53-29 and won the regular-season series against Houston 2-1, but Doncic was a big reason for those wins.

The Rockets are not a pushover, and with Durant leading the way, they are a tough first-round matchup for anyone, let alone a team missing its two best players.

Marcus Smart Is the Key Defender Against Kevin Durant for the Lakers

Smart is not just guessing about how tough Durant is in the playoffs. He has faced him nine times in the postseason, going 5-4 in those matchups, mostly during his time with the Celtics.

Durant is 37 years old, but that has not slowed him down. He averaged 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists this regular season, and his playoff numbers are even more demanding. For his career in the postseason, Durant averages 29.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. He gets better when the games matter most, and that is the version of Durant the Lakers are about to see.

At 6-foot-10, Durant can shoot over smaller defenders but also handles and creates like a guard. There is no clean matchup against him, which is why Smart's experience guarding him is so valuable for a Lakers team that is already shorthanded.

With Doncic and Reaves out, Smart is expected to carry a bigger load on both ends of the floor. His ability to defend, communicate, and make plays out of the backcourt is going to matter a lot more than it did during the regular season.

Game 1 of the Lakers-Rockets series is set for April 18 at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Lakers have the experience edge with LeBron James still in the mix, but this series sets up as one of the more unpredictable first-round matchups in the West.

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