Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier didn’t come out of her first WNBA Finals appearance expecting to be compared to NBA vets well past their prime. But here we are, courtesy of none other than ChatGPT, the AI assistant who just gave us one of the most awkward NBA-to-WNBA comparisons of the year.
Let’s set the scene: Collier, fresh off being named Defensive Player of the Year, second in MVP voting, and her fourth All-Star nod, ends up with ChatGPT declaring her similar to Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler. Now, as much as both of these guys have stellar resumes, neither of them has been a serious MVP contender, nor does their style scream “Napheesa Collier in her prime.”
But hey, Paul George wasn’t about to let the AI verdict stand unchallenged. In his latest “Podcast P” episode, George and co-host Dallas Rutherford decided to weigh in, offering up what they thought was a more fitting comparison for the Minnesota superstar.
“ChatGPT says Draymond Green or Jimmy Butler,” Rutherford shared. “Versatile, high IQ, two-way skills, yada yada.” You could practically hear Collier’s eye-roll through the screen. “That’s… real tough,” she said, clearly less than thrilled at being likened to two guys who, though great in their own right, might as well be Napheesa’s hoops uncles.
George, seeing the disdain, jumped in with his alternative take, confidently dubbing Collier the “Anthony Davis of the WNBA.” And hey, you have to admit, there’s something to it. Like Davis, Collier dominates on both sides of the floor, from defending to rebounding to blocking. The Lynx star also isn’t afraid to go all-in on defense even if her shots aren’t falling.
“I’m gonna say AD,” George said, standing by his choice. “You affect the game in so many ways—from offense to defense, blocking shots, steals, rebounds, scoring. I think it’s AD.”
And Collier could get behind that. Not only does it sound a lot cooler than “WNBA Draymond,” but it also aligns with her own gritty approach. In the episode, she even dove into the grind of playing elite two-way basketball in the WNBA, where every game can feel like a battle.
“Sometimes offense is hot, sometimes it’s not,” she admitted. “Defense, though, is 100% effort and mental. That’s what I hang my hat on.”
Just like AD, Collier can drop 20 points one night, dominate the boards the next, and still have enough energy to leave opposing offenses trembling. At only 28, her AD-like potential seems poised to take her even higher.
Looking at her numbers from this past season—20.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, nearly 2 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game—Paul George might actually be onto something.
One thing’s for sure: If AI ever learns the art of nuance, it’ll have to start with its WNBA comparisons. For now, let’s leave the scouting reports to the real humans.
