Paul George shares Napheesa Collier's NBA comparison after ChatGPT links her to Draymond Green

Fresh off her first WNBA Finals appearance, Minnesota Lynx superstar forward Napheesa Collier received some relatively unflattering AI-generated NBA player comparisons. However, Philadelphia 76ers star wing Paul George disagreed, providing what he seemingly felt was a more suitable comp.

Collier has established herself as one of the WNBA's premier two-way players. This past season, she won Defensive Player of the Year and finished second in MVP voting. She has also garnered four All-Star selections and three All-WNBA nods across her first six campaigns.

Nevertheless, on Monday's "Podcast P with P with Paul George" episode, ChatGPT likened her to two aging NBA stars who've never been serious MVP contenders.

"Who is Napheesa Collier's NBA player comp? ChatGPT's answer (is) Draymond Green or Jimmy Butler for her versatility, two-way skills and strong basketball IQ," George's podcast co-host Dallas Rutherford said.

Collier seemingly didn't appreciate being compared to the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat stars.

"That's real tough," Collier said.

However, George intervened, instead likening Collier to LA Lakers superstar big man Anthony Davis. The nine-time All-Star highlighted how Collier and Davis each dominate on both ends of the court.

"I wanna say AD," George said. "I think you affect the game in so many ways, from offense to defense, from blocking shots to steals to rebounding to scoring. I'm gonna say AD."

Unlike Green and Butler, Davis' career accomplishments align fairly closely with Collier's. While the 2020 NBA champion has yet to win DPOY, he has placed as high as second (2019-20). Moreover, his top MVP finish was third place (2017-18).

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Napheesa Collier reflects on "grind" of being a two-way WNBA superstar amid Paul George's Anthony Davis comparison

During her appearance on Paul George's podcast, Napheesa Collier touched on how difficult it is to be a two-way WNBA superstar.

Collier noted that even when her offense wanes, she hangs her hat on the defensive end, allowing her to be effective.

"It's a grind. On offense, sometimes you feel good, sometimes you don't. I think defense is 100% effort and mental," Collier said. "You get to be really locked in. It's about working hard, and so, you can always do that. So, that's the mindset that I always come into. Sometimes you're gonna have an off game on offense, but defense is something I can control."

(from 39:51 mark onwards)

With that mindset, at just 28 years old, Collier projects to have an Anthony Davis-like two-way impact for years to come.

Across 34 outings this past season, she averaged 20.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.9 steals, 1.4 blocks and 0.9 3-pointers per game, shooting 49.2%.

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