“Kevin Durant has the handle, jumper and does everything Kobe Bryant could do”: JJ Redick explains why he believes the Nets star is like the modern version of the Black Mamba

On the recent episode of his podcast, JJ Redick narrated the harrowing experiences of guarding Kobe Bryant and stated how Kevin Durant was the “modern version” of the Mamba.

Kobe Bryant was one of the greatest players to have played in the league. His sheer competitive spirit and the crazy passion for being the best version of himself at any given time was what set him apart from his opponents. Bean dedicated uncountable hours in the gym to perfect his craft, helping him reach the pinnacle of the game. Because of this, Bryant is one of the most accomplished players of all time.

For over two long decades, the Black Mamba kept preaching his famous Mamba Mentality, while instilling the same mentality in all of his fans from around the world. For anyone who followed Kobe’s career would instantly get inspired by the various little things he would do, in order to be the best.

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There was virtually no defender in the league the Hall-Of-Famer didn’t get buckets on. JJ Redick was one of the many who Bryant managed to get the better of on the offensive end.

JJ Redick calls Kevin Durant the “modern version” of Kobe Bryant

Just like Kobe, Kevin Durant too is one of the most prolific scorers in league history. Because of his incredibly deep offensive arsenal, KD has been able to torch the league for 14 years now. With career averages of 27 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists, The Durantuala is easily one of the greatest players we have ever witnessed. And being a once-in-a-generation type of player, Durant is frequently compared to the greats like Kobe and even Michael Jordan.

Recently, it was JJ Redick who compared Kevin to the great Kobe Bryant. After speaking about the horrific experience of guarding Bryant, JJ explained how the Nets star was the “modern version” of Bean. Redick said on his podcast:

“Guarding Kobe Bryant was sort of like an exercise in futility. There was nothing you could do defensively to stop him. He was either going to make the shot or miss the shot.”

“I feel as if Kevin Durant is the modern version of Kobe. There’s not a whole lot you can do to stop him. He’s got the handle, got the jumper, he’s got everything he can do.”

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JJ, who has played with both the superstars, surely knows what he is talking about. If you think about it, there definitely are a lot of common aspects in Bryant and Durant’s game. For KD, it definitely is a huge compliment, being compared to the player he looked up to while growing up.