Kendrick Perkins is an outspoken figure who consistently lays out his views, no matter how controversial or heated they may be. This candid nature has propelled him to fame as a media personality after his playing days in the NBA.
Recently, the player-turned-analyst sparked a conversation with his spicy opinion on defending today’s post bullies like Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo. While he confidently claimed he could defend Antetokounmpo, he admitted that Jokic and Embiid might pose challenges.
Many NBA fans and pundits disagreed with Perkins regarding guarding the Milwaukee Bucks superstar. However, regardless of how valid his claims might be, it’s essential to understand how good he was as a defender and how others took note of his defensive prowess.
Pivoting from fan opinions, NBA legend Kobe Bryant particularly commended Perkins’ defensive skills. In an interview from years ago, Bryant hailed the former Boston Celtics center as the best one-on-one post defender in the NBA.
“Well, Perk is the… In my opinion, he’s the best one-on-one post defender in the league. He’s that good in the low post, and that gives them (Boston Celtics) an added presence,” Bryant said. “He’s also a very good help defender and screen-and-roll defender.”
Great show today on the Jump as I watched @KendrickPerkins tell a story on how Kobe told him he was the best post defender in the NBA. The NBA was different years ago and post defenders were the main pieces to championship teams. Perk’s presence showed up nightly. #UnpopularFact pic.twitter.com/5B7rgh5dtB
— Rashad Phillips (@RP3natural) January 31, 2020
