It’s always fun to hear NBA stars dissect who they think is the hardest player to guard. Dyson Daniels probably has a pretty good radar for who that could be. The Atlanta Hawks star was a DPOY finalist for the 2024-2025 season, only losing out to Evan Mobley. So when the 22-year-old was asked who he thought the toughest was to guard, he didn’t hesitate for a second. It’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Advertisement
“SGA. It’s not even close,” said Daniels during an interview on the Ausmerican Aces program. An understandable answer. Shai is most likely taking home the Most Valuable Player award for the past season.
He averaged 32.7 points and 6.4 assists throughout the year, stats that helped his OKC Thunder reach an impeccable 68-14 record. But why would Daniels say it is not even close? Don’t worry. He breaks it down even further seconds later.
“He’s like sneaky strong,” said the Aussie basketball star. “And he has a bump, you can’t contest his shot once he bumps you. The only way you can guard him one-on-one is if you beat him to a spot and hit him with your chest.”
Daniels later revealed that no one man could bring SGA down. “Guarding him has to be a team effort, and you have to have a game plan going in.” The Hawks star then sighed, thinking about all the ways that Shai could beat you, between his mid-range, his shifty movements, and now his step-back three. “He’s got it all,” added Daniels.
SGA has utilized all those little tricks to bring the Thunder one game away from a Western Conference Finals spot. It marks the furthest the team has ever gone since the Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook Thunder from 2012. Daniels later named the absolute hardest part of having to defend Shai.
“He knows the game well. He’s got an IQ where he can draw fouls. That’s probably the thing that makes him the hardest to guard,” the Most Improved Player for the season added. “When you’re guarding a guy that can draw fouls so well. He can bump you, but if you bump him, he flops.
Daniels would later name several other players who could fall into the No. 2 spot of hardest to guard. This included Kyrie Irving, Jalen Brunson, or Cade Cunningham. However, after a few moments to think about it, the honor went to Kevin Durant.
“KD,” he stated. “Can’t contest KD’s shots. He’s not as quick or as shifty anymore, but he just gets to his spot.”
A player like Dyson Daniels is going to go far in the NBA. He’s young and already has an incredible knowledge of the best players in the game. Hopefully, he will get to shine more on a team that isn’t as lost as the Atlanta Hawks.
