Kevin Durant recently revealed his list of the toughest players he’s ever had to guard. And though some names (Embiid, Williams) took some by surprise, most of the names aren’t anything unusual.
LeBron James
Kawhi Leonard
Lou Williams
Paul George
Joel Embiid https://t.co/eethDFMCEa
— Boardroom (@boardroom) January 14, 2020
Kawhi, LeBron, and George are all players Durant has had some battles with over the years — and all will be competing for the top prize this spring. For Kawhi Leonard especially, his journey from no-name role-player to NBA superstar is an inspiring one.
In a quote by the 2x Finals MVP himself, he labeled it as a “great honor.”.
“I didn’t see, but I appreciate him. It just shows how hard I worked. Coming in, playing him in the playoffs my first year, I wasn’t a go-to guy at all, so that’s a great honor for him to say that.”
Kawhi Leonard on Kevin Durant naming him as a top 5 toughest players to guard – “I didn’t see, but I appreciate him. It just shows how hard I worked. Coming in, playing him in the playoffs my first year, I wasn’t a go-to guy at all, so that’s a great honor for him to say that.” pic.twitter.com/otPqcvhA00
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) January 17, 2020
Kawhi and Durant have a history going against each other in the regular season and playoffs. The past few years, they both have been squarely near the top of the MVP conversation.
But it wasn’t always like that for Leonard, who didn’t make his first All-Star team until 2016. The progress he has made over the years is truly unprecedented and Durant is obviously just one of many to take notice.
