Former Boston Celtic big man Kendrick Perkins sees a little of one of his former teammates in Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis, even if it may rub fans of his former franchise the wrong way to hear such a comparison.
That Perkins sees a strong resemblance to Celtic frontcourt luminary Kevin Garnett in the player whose pursuit was team president Danny Ainge’s obsession — and no small part of last season’s tension — may irk, but does it hold water?
“He’s a guy that we’ve never seen before. He’s one of one. He’s a generational talent,” began the Celtics champion in a recent interview with Heavy.com’s Brandon Robinson.
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That’s a cookie-cutter description of any top-five talent in the league, and while sometimes true, doesn’t get to the heart of the matter. But Perk then elaborated:
“In my opinion, the closest guy that I’ve seen to Anthony Davis was Kevin Garnett when you look at the whole body of work that they both can do; their handles, their passing ability, their shot blocking, the way they defend they can switch from 1 through 5, they rebound at a high level.”
The resemblances don’t stop there, either.
“It’s no limitations on their game really. Offensively they both can shoot the 3. They both had post moves. KG had post moves. AD has post moves. KG could push the rock. AD could push the rock. But, AD is one of one man. He’s a generational talent.”
The collection of mobility on both ends of the floor and offensive and defensive skill sets rung true, even if the former Celtic stalwart may be viewing AD with LeBron-tinted lenses.
Kendrick Perkins recalls unexpected intensity of Lakers-Celts rivalry https://t.co/cKD4PKfzBj via @thecelticswire
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) April 22, 2020
One thing Davis has yet to exhibit that truly defined Garnett was his near-constant high-motor intensity the South Carolinian Hall of Famer brought to almost every contest he played in.
But then, only a handful of players in NBA history have brought that sort of fire to the table on a regular basis — Perkins’ comparison is a solid one, however loathe Boston fans might be to admit it.
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