In a powerful episode of Mind The Game with LeBron James and Steve Nash, Kevin Durant gave one of the most blunt explanations yet for why small guards are vanishing from NBA starting lineups. The 2-time Finals MVP didn’t mince words: unless you’re a lockdown defender or an offensive wizard, being under 6’2″ is nearly a death sentence for a starting role in today’s league.
Kevin Durant: “I don’t know if the six-foot-two-and-under guard is at a premium anymore as a starter. Maybe as a backup.”
LeBron James: “We just talked about this the last match.”
Steve Kerr: “It’s gotten compressed. It’s compressed.”
Kevin Durant: “It has.”
Steve Nash: “It’s that like, either Donovan Mitchell, Jrue Holiday, six-three or six-four, Lu Dort or it’s not.”
Kevin Durant: “You can’t get picked on defense. That’s the thing. Because we play such a pick-on game that they will really, literally, if you can’t guard, they will bring you up every play.”
“And if you’re six-foot, six-one, and you’re not a bulldog like a Davion Mitchell, Jrue Holiday on the defensive side, or you’re not an offensive flat-out savant like Kyrie, where you can score on dudes seven feet easily in an iso, I just can’t see it.”
This is the brutal truth of the modern game. There’s no more hiding on defense. If you’re small, you have to fight like hell on every possession or have the offensive skill to torch anyone in front of you, even if they’re 6’8″ or 7 feet tall. Think Kyrie Irving or peak Allen Iverson. Without that? You’re getting exposed.
The numbers and trends back Durant’s assertion. The NBA’s current stars at the guard position, like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Stephen Curry, and Jrue Holiday, all possess size, length, or elite shooting or two-way ability.
Even Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson, both listed at around 6’1″ or 6’2″, are built like tanks and play with incredible physicality. They’re exceptions, not the rule.
In past eras, smaller guards could carve out roles based on grit and toughness.
But back then, defensive switching wasn’t as universal, and pace-and-space hadn’t fully evolved. Today? You’re either a menace on both ends or you become a liability by the second quarter.
Durant’s words highlight a league in transition, one where size and versatility are no longer luxuries but requirements. A 6’0 guard today isn’t just fighting for a starting role; he’s fighting to stay on the court without being hunted on every possession.
This isn’t just an insight from a veteran. It’s a reality check. Kevin Durant pulled back the curtain and delivered a cold, honest truth: unless you’re Kyrie, Jrue, or Davion Mitchell, your days as a 6’0″ starting guard in the NBA might already be over.
