Draymond Green and Kevin Durant’s bond, despite seeing some tumultuous times, has had moments where they’ve given each other their flowers.

Green, during a recent episode of the Draymond Green Show, revealed what it’s like to face Durant, explaining that their battles are always exciting but also challenging because of Durant’s elite scoring ability.

“It’s always fun playing against K. 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. I like guarding K more than anyone in the league just because of the challenge it presents. He’s 7ft. Fast. Quick as hell. Does everything with precision.”

Green’s comments came after the Warriors’ 115-113 barebones victory against the Houston Rockets, during which fans got an entertaining battle throughout the game as Green spent most of the night guarding Durant.

Kevin Durant still managed to score 23 points while shooting 50 percent despite the tough defensive pressure put on him during the game on March 5.

Given that Draymond Green has defended legendary scorers like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant during his career, the praise stands out even more. However, it’s not the current version of Durant that Green finds a formidable opponent. Instead, Green found it most difficult to guard Durant when he broke into the league.

Draymond Green on Facing Kevin Durant for the First Time

During an appearance on Kai Cenat’s livestream last year, Draymond Green looked back on what it was like to guard Kevin Durant when the latter was playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder after his rookie season.

Green divulged that the Thunder version of Durant was the toughest he ever had to guard and even said that it was almost impossible to go against him during those early matchups.

“The hardest player I had to guard in my career is KD. KD in OKC. After that, I figured him out. But in OKC, and just coming into the league and figuring (things out), oh my God. No chance,” Draymond Green said.

Durant would go on to join Draymond Green at the Golden State Warriors, and the duo would win 2 titles (2017 and 2018) together. In fact, Green played a crucial role in Durant’s recruitment to the Warriors, and has compared his part to that of a college coach chasing a top recruit.

And while Kevin Durant eventually parted ways with the Dubs in 2019, he still shares a bond built on mutual respect with Green to this date.

Do you think Durant was the toughest player that Draymond Green has guarded? Let us know!

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Written by

Sauramita Debbarma

Edited by

Arvind Rao