While there may not have been any egregiously bad mispronunciations on Thursday night, Kendrick Perkins was in full effect during the 2022 NBA Draft.
Perkins, who was featured on ESPN’s broadcast of the draft alongside Malika Andrews and Jay Bilas, provided analysis in a way that only he can.
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It didn’t take long for him to … shake things up.
While his comparison of No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero to Michael Beasley and Ben Simmons probably caused plenty of viewers to do a double-take, he was really just getting warmed up.
Kendrick Perkins compares Chet Holmgren to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kristaps Porzingis
When the Gonzaga star went second overall to the Thunder, Perkins said, “If Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kristaps Porzingis had a baby, they’d get Chet Holmgren.”
Seriously.
While there may be some shades of each player in Holmgren’s game, any player that could be viewed as a legitimate blend of Antetokounmpo and Porzingis would be a consensus No. 1 pick on the trajectory to being the greatest player to ever pick up a basketball.
Holmgren is in line for a fruitful career in OKC, but the Giannis-Porzingis hybrid might have been a bit much.
Kendrick Perkins on Bennedict Mathurin
Perkins carried on by comparing sixth overall pick Bennedict Mathurin, an explosive and prolific guard, to Raptors forward OG Anunoby, a rangy, defense-first forward capable of guarding multiple positions.
The head-scratching continued.
About there being no mispronunciations… I guess I spoke too soon.
Kendrick Perkins vs. Desmond Bane
From there, Perkins’ takes were mostly mild — that is, until he dropped his comparison for Duke guard Trevor Keels.
Keels, who Perkins described as a “ball of muscle,” gained a reputation for his strength as a lead guard during his time at Duke, causing TSN’s Kyle Irving to compare him to Portland’s Eric Bledsoe. Perkins, however, had a different idea, comparing Keels to Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane.
Aside from their capabilities in the weight room, the two don’t have much in common. Bane made sure to let Perkins know that he didn’t agree with his analysis.
“Me [and] Trevor Keels got [a] similar game???” Bane tweeted in response to Perkins’ compliment. Perkins replied, “Yeah have you watched yourself lately?! Stay humble youngin.”
The two immediately got into a hilarious exchange, and Ja Morant and 2022 Grizzlies draft selection Jake LaRavia also made sure to chime in.
Perkins warned Bane (and anyone else who was monitoring the back-and-forth) that he’s the “one to run up that chimney,” meaning he’s ready for all the smoke.
With the takes and comparisons Perkins fired off during this year’s draft, he is surely inviting it.
