The NBA has changed drastically over the past 20 years. The league continues to evolve in many ways, especially in the style of play. Many teams strive for versatility on defense, while being able to space the court. Unfortunately, that defensive versatility is difficult with a shorter point guard.
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Houston Rockets superstar Kevin Durant had a bold opinion regarding how small guards stack up in modern-day basketball. During an appearance on LeBron James’ Mind the Game podcast, Durant shared his basketball opinion.
“If you’re 6’0 or 6’1 and you’re not a bulldog like Davion Mitchell, Jrue Holiday on the defensive side or an offensive savant like Kyrie Irving, I just can’t see it,” Durant proclaimed.
Teams rarely run plays every time down like they did in the past. If a coach believes there’s a mismatch on the court, they will try to exploit it every single time.
It may be a rude awakening for many players who don’t fit that criteria, but there’s some truth to Durant’s claim. But that doesn’t mean former teammate Kendrick Perkins has to agree with him.
“When it comes down to whether or not the 6’2, 6’3 and under guards don’t exist anymore, I think they exist more now today than they ever have,” Perkins said on Perk Unplugged.
The former NBA champion didn’t make a baseless claim either; he provided examples to support his case. “Jalen Brunson, Fred VanVleet, Steph Curry, Damian Lillard. And you look at guys like Tyrese Maxey, right?”
Perkins didn’t stop there. He continued to list players such as Kyrie Irving and Trae Young as perfect examples. The league has plenty of examples that the small guard is thriving; they just may come in a different form. Besides, Perkins doesn’t think LeBron James will take too kindly to that line of thought.
“What I took from it as well, you’re sitting on Mind the Game and KD says this, but Bronny is 6’2. So you’re telling LeBron that, you know what I mean?” Perkins said.
Following Durant’s criteria, which a small guard must abide by to be successful, Bronny James doesn’t quite fit under either umbrella. The Los Angeles Lakers are planting the seeds for him to follow a path similar to Davion Mitchell, but he is far from that sort of pest on the defensive end.
Obviously, Durant wasn’t speaking ill of Bronny in front of LeBron. But Perkins believes these comments could paint an outline for what Bronny needs to do to be successful in the NBA.
“Bronny is going to find his niche. It’s not going to be at an All-Star level. But I believe he’s going to find his niche. Go be a Davion Mitchell,” Perkins said.
It won’t be easy to emulate what someone like Mitchell can do on the basketball court. But with enough repetitions and most importantly, consistent effort, Bronny could make it happen.
