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Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green recently claimed that he's the best defender in the history of the NBA. Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse didn't really disagree with him, but said that Kawhi Leonard should also be in the discussion for the title that Draymond gave himself.
“I would say both of those guys are in the same discussion.” – Nurse on Kawhi and Draymond, after Draymond said he’s the best defender ever.
— (((Eric Koreen))) (@ekoreen) May 29, 2019
Throughout the course of Leonard's career, he has proven that he's one of the best defenders in the NBA. He was able to limit four-time MVP LeBron James back in 2014 when the San Antonio Spurs met the Miami Heat in the Finals, earning Finals MVP for his efforts.
This season, Leonard has been impressive on the defensive end as well. He's able to limit guys like Orlando Magic's Aaron Gordon, Philadelphia 76ers' Ben Simmons, and, most significantly, the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo in the playoffs. In addition, Kawhi's production on the offensive end has been so spectacular that he's already being compared to legends like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Leonard led the Raptors to their first Finals appearance ever, but he knows that the job is not yet done. Beating the Warriors won't be an easy task, as Golden State will be led by the best shooting backcourt in NBA history, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
It wouldn't be a surprise if Nurse asks Leonard to guard one of those two, and there's no doubt whoever he defends will surely have a hard time all series. He'll no doubt shift over to Kevin Durant if the two-time reigning Finals MVP is healthy enough to play, too.
Game 1 of the best-of-seven championship series between the Raptors and the Warriors will be on Thursday in Toronto.
