Memphis Grizzlies star Desmond Bane, like most of us, appeared to be glued to the TV and Twitter during the 2022 NBA Draft.
He was probably curious as to what General Manager Zach Kleiman would do with two first-round picks. Hint: there were a lot of trades.
But, it’s probably a good thing he was paying attention because ESPN NBA analyst and former NBA player Kendrick Perkins (2004-2018) gave an absurd player comp during the second round of the draft.
Perkins, known for his off-the-cuff commentary and candor, gave some interesting insight as to what he sees in No. 42 overall pick Trevor Keels.
He gave a bizarre comparison during his take, calling the Duke freshman similar to Desmond Bane of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Desmond Bane, Kendrick Perkins get into hilarious Twitter scuffle during Draft
The only problem with that comparison is that Keels is not exactly a knock-down three-point shooter— something that Desmond Bane has become well-known for during his short time in the NBA.
Bane, the No. 30 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, shot 43.2% from three during his rookie season (averaging 4 attempts per game) and 43.6% this past season (averaging 6.9 attempts per game).
Keels, in his lone season at Duke, averaged 31.2% from beyond the arc on 4.8 attempts per game— not exactly a dead ringer for one of the best shooters in the Association right now.
So, Bane took to Twitter once he heard the crazy comparison, writing, “Me n Trevor Keels got similar game???”
https://twitter.com/sportingnews/status/1540187758005669888?s=20&t=j41Q6E0BsEYa4n6pr7LXGg
Perkins, while still live and on-air, saw the tweet in real time and responded to Bane, despite not even being tagged in the post. It created a quick back-and-forth that got the two sharing funny jabs.
Perkins responded to Bane’s tweet by doubling down, writing, “Yeah have you watched yourself lately?! Stay humble youngin.”
All Bane could do was laugh at that, tweeting back the crying/laughing emoji. Perkins, stood behind his words, “Real Talk. You know I’m the one to run up that Chimney .”
Desmond, looking for one more jab, came back with, “Somebody gon mistake you for the black Santa clause on the way up that mf .”
https://twitter.com/DBane0625/status/1540181656476205056?s=20&t=R0hjDXzZUtjFh2MzHju5bQ
Ja Morant got in on the fun too, chiming in on Perkins’ final reply to Bane on the matter.
https://twitter.com/JaMorant/status/1540183397531795456?s=20&t=R0hjDXzZUtjFh2MzHju5bQ
It created for a funny back-and-forth during the back part of the second round. Everyone knows how much Perkins loves the Grizzlies, he’s been one of the most vocal supporters of the team any time he’s on ESPN.
Not only does Perkins seem to genuinely like the squad Memphis has put together, he probably has a bit of a soft spot for the team since he was drafted by the Grizzlies No. 27 overall in the 2003 NBA Draft. However, he never actually suited up for the team, as he was subsequently traded (along with Marcus Banks) to the Boston Celtics for Troy Bell and Dahntay Jones on draft night in 2003.