Jim Jackson, one of the best role players in NBA history, was an excellent scorer who played a ton of minutes and filled up the stat sheet. And while he wasn’t known for his defensive prowess, he could hold his own and not get embarrassed. Recently, he answered a tough question on who he would rather guard today between Steph Curry and Kevin Durant.
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We all know that Durant and Curry are both world-class offensive talents who revolutionized basketball in different ways. Steph with his shooting from inside half court, and KD is a 3-level scorer who’s nearly 7 feet tall with a handle like a 6’3″ guard. So, it’s a tough question for anyone to answer.
But surprisingly, the former NBA forward, who played in the NBA from 1992 to 2006, didn’t take long to share his answer. And his reasoning may surprise you.
“Durant,” Jackson responded on the Dan Patrick Show. “Oh, definitely.”
The quick response made it seem like he thought Curry was the better scorer. After all, he is the greatest shooter of all time. With over 4,000 career three-pointers made and a career free-throw percentage of 91%, he has comfortably earned that title.
Durant, on the other hand, is one of the toughest matchups to guard in the NBA. At 7th all-time on the career scoring list, KD has an unguardable shot. With his height, he can simply rise and shoot over any defender in the league. And it’s quite the sight to see when his shots are going down.
However, Jackson quickly cleared up that it wasn’t that he thought Curry was better than Durant. He was thinking about the conditioning aspect.
“Not because Steph is better. Steph runs too much, man. I mean, if he’s running two miles a game, that means you’re running two miles a game, chasing him. Let alone what you’re doing on the offensive end,” Jackson said.
It’s an interesting distinction to point out between the two players. Curry has to run like a madman off screens to get open in the half-court.
Sometimes he’ll run around for an entire possession without touching the ball, only to get it at the very end of the shot clock and make a three-pointer. It can be super frustrating to guard him. And if you aren’t properly conditioned, good luck.
It reminds us of the time in 2022 when Trae Young joined Steph for a workout and struggled to get through it. Additionally, another unnamed NBA player threw up while joining Curry for a workout.
He has an intense shooting drill that requires a ton of cardio. If you can’t keep up with Steph, he will leave you behind.
But let’s not disrespect Durant. Jackson would still have a tough time guarding him. At 6’6″, KD would have almost half a foot on his defender. It would give him plenty of room to rise and fire.
All in all, it’s a tough question, and there’s really no right answer. Both Durant and Curry are nightmares to guard for anybody. But if you ask other NBA players like Jackson the same question, they might agree with his choice and cite Steph’s insane conditioning as the main reason.
