NBA fans, mark your calendars for Feb. 12, 2018.
There are only six games on the docket that night, and none of them are marquee matchups. However, thanks to an unusually shady (though delivered rather nonchalantly) answer to a fairly usual question, Suns rookie Josh Jackson made his team's meeting on the road against the Warriors that night appointment viewing.
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When asked during an interview with Vice Sports to compare himself to current NBA players, the 6-7 Kansas product known for his aggressive play on both sides of the floor likened himself to two-time Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard. When asked what player he's least like, Jackson said Stephen Curry.
Why? It's simple, Curry is "small and unathletic."
Boy, what?
Sure, at 6-3, 180 pounds, the two-time MVP and champion is undersized. The average NBA players stands 6-7 and tips the scale at 222 pounds, according to PsychGuides.com. Jackson, a lean 6-8, 210-pound jumping bean, is a prototypical NBA specimen, but he should've "put some respeck" (shoutout to Baby) on Curry's name.
The 20-year-old hasn't played a minute in a regular-season game, yet he's slinging around terms that can be construed as disparaging about the man who has absolutely terrorized the NBA for nearly a half decade. In the past four seasons, Curry's averaged 25.8 points on 48.2 percent shooting from the field, including 43.3 from 3-point range. Who cares how much promise Jackson showed in Summer League?
Jackson gave Curry credit for being known as a shooter (he might be the best ever), but the No. 4 overall pick in the 2017 draft's tone probably wasn't reverential enough for Curry, one of the fiercest competitors the game has ever seen. I wouldn't be surprised if Curry does his best to hang 40-plus points on the rookie int front of 20,000 of his closest friends at Oracle Arena and furnish the youngster with a "Welcome to the NBA" moment.
Jackson's more than a capable defender, having been compared to the likes of Scottie Pippen and Curry's teammate Andre Iguodala. He went for 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks to go along with 16.3 points and 3.0 assists a night in his lone season as a Jayhawk. But the last thing he wants to do is give Curry added motivation to go at him.
This certainly won't be the last Jackson hears of these comments. He better be ready for the challenge of a lifetime.