Kevin Durant has the utmost respect for New York Knicks forward Michael Beasley and his game — and that includes backing him in what most consider an outrageous statement.

Beasley had compared his skill set to the likes of Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James in the past, two of the top three picks in the 2003 NBA Draft and likely Hall of Famers in the making. While Beasley's career numbers don't stack up to that, Durant admits Beasley's scoring arsenal is up there with some of the best.

“I love Beas,’’ Durant said, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. “I love his family. I love what he’s doing. He never had a fair chance. I said in a comment earlier this year before the season where he said he was just as skilled as LeBron [James] and myself, and I was feeling him on that.”

“I was feeling him, because he is,’’ Durant added. “He can score from anywhere. He can score on anybody. He can use both hands, but there’s something else that separates. You know what I’m saying? I think that’s just the difference, the mental part of it. And he’s got the foundation of his game set, it’s just time to build on top of it.”

Beasley dropped a team-high 21 points in Tuesday's loss to the Warriors, receiving extra playing time due to a Kristaps Porzingis injury that kept him out of the lineup. The 28-year-old lefty forward made the most of his opportunity, finishing 8-of-15 from the floor and a perfect 5-of-5 from the stripe against one of the best defensive teams in the league.

Fearless, Beasley challenged the best shot-blocking team in the league time after time, finishing one acrobatic layup after another within the flow of the game.

“I think he’s found a solid home in New York and hopefully he sticks there, but if not, he’s played his way into a nice deal hopefully, and he’s come in handy for this team throughout the whole season, so I’m proud of him,” Durant said.