Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant might be the most difficult player to guard in NBA history. Denver Nuggets wing Jeff Green would know so.
Green, who was selected with the No. 5 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, just three picks after Durant, has known the Suns’ star forward for some time. They were teammates with the Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder and are two successful players from their draft class.
Green offered high praise for Durant before the Nuggets face the Suns in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals on Monday night at Ball Arena in Denver. The veteran was asked if he had any “institutional knowledge” that would help when it comes to defending KD, per The Denver Post's Mike Singer.
“If I had an answer to that, I'm pretty sure somebody would've stopped him already,” Green said, while also claiming Durant is actually 7-foot-1.
Green is one of the Nuggets’ top rotation players and has to guard Durant, who finished with 29 points in Denver’s 125-107 win in Game 1 Saturday night.
Durant might not be able to be truly stopped by the Nuggets, who aren't exactly a defensive stalwart, but he did cough the ball up seven times in Game 1. Denver has to trust its defensive matchups in this series and do whatever it can to slow him down without totally compromising the entire scheme.
The Nuggets currently have the second-best odds to win the Western Conference, according to FanDuel. The Suns started this postseason as the favorite to win the West but dropped after they lost Game 1 and the Golden State Warriors beat the Sacramento Kings to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals.
Golden State, which is led by Stephen Curry, will face LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ Los Angeles Lakers.
Follow Us
Subscribe