Paul George Reveals The Toughest NBA Star He’s Ever Guarded: “The Fastest First Step I’ve Ever Seen…”

Paul George has been one of the finest defenders in the NBA, and he revealed who was the toughest NBA star for him to guard.

4 Min Read

Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Paul George has been one of the better defenders in the NBA over the last decade, and he has guarded some truly great players in that time. 

Who was the toughest one for him to guard among all those? Well, George stated on the latest episode of Podcast P that it was Carmelo Anthony.

“Melo was so good, he can get his shot off in a phone booth,” George said. “He didn’t need much space and so with him, I had to play him extra tight… He was so good at creating contact and being physical that I was just going to be in for a long game.”

When Melo’s ability to jab step both left and right was brought up, George spoke about just how difficult it was to guard him.

“Oh it was crazy, he could get his shot off like this (snaps his finger) and I added that to my game, that quick jab and he’ll put that bounce and then step back and you could not guard it. It was unguardable, so that’s why you could never give him space because you’re gonna play on your heels when you guard Melo. The fastest first step I’ve ever seen, for a guy that size, he had the quickest first step, so you had to play tight defense on Melo.” 

When asked later about who was the most difficult player to guard, George instantly replied, “100% Melo.”

Anthony was one of the best scorers in the NBA at his peak and won the 2013 scoring title by averaging 28.7 PPG. The combination of his size, athleticism, and skill made him a nightmare to defend, and he is currently ninth on the all-time scoring charts with 28,289 points.

He is 307 points behind Shaquille O’Neal (28,596) for the eighth spot, but with little to no interest around the league for his services, it does seem like Melo’s time in the NBA has come to an end.


Paul George Spoke About Who Has The Best Signature Move In The NBA Today.

George was asked during this episode about who had the best signature move in the NBA, and he went with someone from Melo’s draft class, LeBron James. George feels the look-down three-pointer from LeBron is the best and said he’s never seen James miss that shot!

That shot really does seem to go in quite often, and James uses it to great effect from time to time. It is incredible, really, when you think that Melo is basically out of the league now, but his good friend LeBron is still going strong in his 20th season. That’s not criticism aimed in any way at Anthony, though, as LeBron is just a freak of nature.

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Gautam Varier is a staff writer and columnist for Fadeaway World from Mumbai, India. He graduated from Symbiosis International University with a Master of Business specializing in Sports Management in 2020. This educational achievement enables Gautam to apply sophisticated analytical techniques to his incisive coverage of basketball, blending business acumen with sports knowledge.Before joining Fadeaway World in 2022, Gautam honed his journalistic skills at Sportskeeda and SportsKPI, where he covered a range of sports topics with an emphasis on basketball. His passion for the sport was ignited after witnessing the high-octane offense of the Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns. Among the Suns, Shawn Marion stood out to Gautam as an all-time underrated NBA player. Marion’s versatility as a defender and his rebounding prowess, despite being just 6’7”, impressed Gautam immensely. He admired Marion’s finishing ability at the rim and his shooting, despite an unconventional jump shot, believing that Marion’s skill set would have been even more appreciated in today’s NBA.This transformative experience not only deepened his love for basketball but also shaped his approach to sports writing, enabling him to connect with readers through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis.
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