Who is the hardest player to guard in the NBA? Kevin Durant has been a popular answer in the past. One of the grittiest defenders in the NBA has a very different answer. Patrick Beverley was polled on the question and he said Damian Lillard is the correct answer.
VIA The Ringer on The J.J, Redick Podcast:
“I say Dame. I give it to him. Dame is one of the reasons why I went into the weight room. I told my guys, ‘Hey, I gotta get faster laterally. I don’t feel like I’m fast. I can’t keep up with the speed right now. I don’t know if I need to lose weight. I don’t know if I need to get stronger. I don’t know if I need to hire a new f****** team. But I need to get f******* faster…
“He’s in a system where they allow him to be exactly who he is in order for them to win at a high level. Those half-court shots are like, for me that’s layups and corner shots, half-court shots for him, though. The dynamic is very different when you’re going out there preparing for a player like that. Way different.”
That’s a lot of praise coming from Beverley. Pat Bev is an all-time shit talker. For him to say those words about Dame speaks volumes. Lillard has always been disrespected around the league. He is carrying a Blazers team that’s made bad free agent moves and trapped the roster. Lillard is the only stable force they have going.
Lillard, 30, is once again amazing this season. He is shooting 39.7 percent from 3 while scoring 28.9 points per game. Portland is 3.5 games behind the Grizzlies for the 8 seed so Lillard will need some serious heroics to get his team into the dance. Let us know who you think the hardest player to guard is in the NBA!
