Former NBA All-Star makes feelings known on JuJu Watkins' comparisons to Maya Moore and $42,176,400 T'Wolves star

JuJu Watkins is taking college hoops by storm right now, attracting a variety of comparisons to the sport's all-time greats. One former NBA All-Star weighed in on the Juju discussion, rejecting one particular comparison but giving his thumbs up to another.

On the Dec. 22 episode of the Club 520 podcast, Jeff Teague gave his thoughts on Watkins' performance in the USC Trojans' 72-70 win over the UConn Huskies, which took place a day prior. During this discussion, his co-hosts DJ Wells and Brandon Hendricks delved into conversations about the greatest of all time, along with making several analogies:

At one point, Hendricks stated that Watkins was the best women's basketball player he had ever seen. While Wells acknowledged the brilliant play of the USC star, he pointed to two-time national champion Maya Moore as his GOAT. Teague then chimed in with his assessment of Watkins:

"She ain't more athletic than Maya Moore, but her movements are a little more fluid than Maya. I don't know, though..." (Timestamp: 1:17).

Maya Moore goes in for a layup in the WNBA Finals - Source: Getty

The hosts then introduced additional comparisons to contextualize Watkins and Moore, a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. When Hendricks suggested that Maya Moore is akin to the late Kobe Bryant, Teague readily agreed.

As for Watkins, Teague compared her to a certain Minnesota Timberwolves star who, according to Spotrac, is worth $42,176,400 this season:

"[She's] kind of like Anthony Edwards — just kinda be flowing with it" (Timestamp: 1:44).

Teague, who played for the Wolves from 2017 to 2020, also shared his thoughts on UConn star Paige Bueckers. According to him, while Bueckers is a good player, she does not match the caliber of either Watkins or Caitlin Clark.

JuJu Watkins draws more praise from former NBA champions

Teague and his co-hosts are not alone in offering praise for Watkins, who is only in her sophomore season with the Trojans. Following USC's win over UConn, former NBA champions Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes spoke highly of Watkins on the final "All the Smoke Unplugged" episode of 2024.

"I think she's definitely ready for the WNBA now," asserted Jackson (Timestamp: 5:01).

Barnes agreed with Jackson, expressing his excitement to see more of Watkins as the NCAA season progresses.

Earlier in March, Naismith Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett also praised Watkins, who was then preparing for the 2024 March Madness tournament.

"I want to shout out JuJu at USC getting f***ing money!" said a fired up KG. "She's a walking f***ing bucket. Her name should be 'Walking Bucket.'"

With the way she continues to dominate competition at the collegiate level, Watkins will certainly draw more rave reviews from NBA icons in the future.