Kevin Durant sets the record straight on Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels’ basketball skills.
Washington Commanders star rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is ready for his NFL debut. At the same time, Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant set the record straight on Daniels’ basketball talents and how they can’t compare to Durant’s.
As the Commanders’ starting quarterback prepares for Week 1’s season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Durant called out the 2024 Heisman trophy winner when asked how many points Daniels could score on Durant in a hypothetical game of 21 via The Up & Adams Show.
“Me? None,” Durant replied. “For the simple fact that he’s walking around saying that he can actually play like me in basketball.”
Durant admitted to labeling Daniels as Kevin Durant-ish due to his similar body frame, but he pointed out that the compliment had nothing to do with Daniels’ basketball skills.
“Of college football [not basketball] because of his size, but he says he’s actually nice at basketball,” Durant added. “Bobby Wagner said he was talking.”
Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner said Daniels has been hyping everyone up about his basketball skills, and he even carries a basketball around during practice.
Kevin Durant calls Jayden Daniels the ‘KD’ of college football
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Kevin Durant, a Washington D.C. native, is a proud fan of the Washington Commanders. In July, the two-time champion publicly supported the Commanders’ decision to select LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels as the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
He spoke highly of Daniels via The Up & Adams show.
“I was a fan of the Heisman winner this past year,” Durant said. “It feels like… he’s like the KD of college football last year with his body type. You watch him on TV; it’s easy to watch their team because of how he plays. So, hopefully, he brings that same type of enthusiasm to the game to Washington. Everyone is rallying around him, we feel like we got a player that can take us somewhere now.”
The Commanders’ offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said that Daniels’ demeanor changes once he steps onto a football field. Days away from his highly anticipated NFL debut, Jayden shared he’s taking it one day at a time and doing his best to stay in the moment, per NFL.com’s Zach Selby.
“Approach the day, try to get better each and every day,” Daniels said. “It’s not gonna be a finished product week one, but just try to get better and go out there and go through some growing pains. As you know…you’re a rookie. You’re not gonna have everything perfect. You can strive for perfection, but it’s not gonna be perfect.”
The Buccaneers host the Commanders on Sunday.