The NBA has historically included several players who would be considered particularly challenging assignments on defense. Golden State Warriors forward Draymond recently claimed that Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is the toughest current player to guard and only second to the Oklahoma City Thunder version of Kevin Durant.
“The hardest player I had to guard in my career is KD,” Green told streamer Kai Cenat. “KD in OKC. After that, I figured him out, right. Slim can’t score on me no more – nah, he going to score on everybody, but I got better and learned more about his game. But, in OKC and just coming into the league and figuring — oh my God. No chance.”
Durant averaged 27.4 points and shot roughly 48 percent from the field across nine years with the Thunder.
Green was also sure to give Jokic his flowers as the game’s hardest player to guard, but also gave teammate Stephen Curry and Los Angeles Lakers All-Star Luka Doncic credit for being the sort of players who leave defenders in shambles.
“The hardest now is Joker,” Green said of Nikola Jokic. “I play with Steph so I don’t have that headache. Joker — Luka [Doncic] will always be one of the toughest covers, but that ain’t my matchup. Of my matchups, the hardest to guard right now is Joker.”
Green also mentioned an anonymous big man in the Western Conference, but refused to shout him out for competitive purposes.
“There’s one that’s really tough. … I’m not saying it,” Green told Cenat. “I don’t want to give him that edge. He probably don’t believe he has that edge, so I can’t give him that edge.”
Green and the Warriors will begin the regular season on October 21 against the Lakers.
