Draymond Green and Kevin Durant were once teammates competing for championships, but have become fierce rivals over the years. Whenever the two face off, it is always a must-watch. Although there are narratives that there is animosity between them, one thing is certain: there’s a mutual respect. Green’s recent comments reinforce that sentiment to the highest degree.
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Green and Durant are two of the most competitive players in the NBA. Whenever they are on the basketball court, friendship is out the window. However, outside of competition, they have spoken highly of each other countless times.
The two stars faced off recently on March 5 in an overtime thriller. Green and the Golden State Warriors prevailed with a 115-113 victory over the Houston Rockets. Fans got their money’s worth as Green guarded Durant for the majority of the game. The two-time champion finished with 23 points on 50% shooting despite Green’s best defensive efforts.
As one of the defensive players in NBA history, Green understands it’s impossible to win every matchup. Whenever he faces Durant, that is even more apparent. In a recent episode of The Draymond Green Show, he shed light on the difficulties that come with guarding one of the best scorers of all-time.
“It’s always fun playing against [Durant],” Green said. “He’s one of the greatest scorers I’ve ever played against and by far the toughest player I’ve ever had to guard in this league.”
That is incredible praise, but Green is far from the only person to give Durant such praise. Kendrick Perkins and Brian Windhorst are among the many notable figures to lift Durant to such heights. After all, he is basically a 7-footer who can move like a guard and shoot from anywhere on the court.
Durant is currently sixth on the all-time scorer’s list and will certainly finish higher by the time he calls it quits. Most people would shy away from such a daunting defensive challenge, but that’s Green’s favorite aspect of going against his former teammate.
“I like guarding KD more than anyone in the league just because of the challenge it presents. It’s such a f****** challenge. He’s 7-feet, fast, quick as hell, does everything with precision,” Green proclaimed.
It’s great to see a player take such immense pride in defense, considering we are in an offensive-oriented era. Of course, Green has carried himself this way his entire career, so this isn’t a surprise.
There’s still a slim chance that these two teams may cross paths in the playoffs. If that were to be the case, it would certainly make for an entertaining matchup.
