Golden State Warriors star forward Kevin Durant is in his 11th season in the league, which has given him the opportunity to guard many of the game's best players on a nightly basis.
During a recent Youtube Q&A session where he answered questions submitted by fans, Durant stated that former Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant as being the most difficult cover for him so far in his NBA career.
Q. Toughest player for you to defend and why?
Kevin Durant: Toughest player for me to defend one-on-one… Had to be Kobe Bryant, just because the way he made tough shots… Is easy to get discouraged when you play a great defense and he still makes a tough shot. That was tough to get over as a young player. And his footwork. It was difficult to stay out of foul trouble.
Throughout his illustrious 20-year NBA career, Bryant proved to be one of the best scorers that the league has ever seen. His versatility on the offensive end being able to score from practically any spot on the floor combined with his ability to make closely guarded shots that many times had multiple defenders around only heightens the difficulty of guarding him on a nightly basis.
Bryant was often touted for his footwork that often times made it difficult for defenders to stay in front of him or guard. During the second half of his career, he became more of a factor in the low post due to his footwork that opened up more scoring opportunities for him.
It is a major part of the reason that he's third all-time on the scoring list while holding a career average of 25.0 points per game that helped him earn 18 All-Star Game nods, 15 All-NBA team selections, two scoring titles, and five NBA championships.
The fact that Durant, who is about half a foot taller than Bryant is stating that he had difficulty covering him speaks to the type of premier offensive talent that the future Hall of Famer possessed.
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