Who can block Kevin Durant? Good question, seeing as nobody has done a great job of guarding him. Over the years, many have accepted the challenge head-on, only to be snubbed. And in the period of one game, these valiant knights have come to accept the fact that the 6’11 scorer is virtually impossible to guard.
The preseason matchup we have all been waiting for happened at the Acrisure Arena between the Lakers and Suns. And unfortunately, the Lakers’ guard Austin Reaves was tasked with the mammoth task of guarding KD. Guess where that got him.
Reaves is in awe of KD’s prowess
Austin Reaves had a pretty good game. His stats show steady scores with his 3-point percentage at 75%, 4 defensive rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Compared to the past five games, Reaves is keeping it at a decent level. However, his guarding duties had a tough time.
Austin got Kevin Durant and though he is already aware it’s pointless to guard the elite scorer, Reaves still gave it his best. KD was at his best yesterday, scoring one after another and targeting his victim for the night. After Austin’s unsuccessful attempts at guarding him, Durant gave him his infamous ‘too small’ celebration.
During half-time, he went to the Lakers’ assistant coach to give him a word of advice – “Don’t have him guard me next week.”
Austin Reaves, on the other hand, found himself spellbound yet again as he watched Durant do his thing on the court. He said just as much during the post-game press report. He took the trash talk in his stride and replied in the usual Austin style as to what else would he do when it comes to defending KD.
Yeah, all you can expect is to do your best at guarding and hope the basketball gods take compassion.
What makes guarding Kevin Durant a daunting task?
The best person to answer that question would be the former NBA player, Chandler Parsons. There is no question as to the fact that Durant is extremely s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed when it comes to shooting. His ability to score from anywhere on the court makes guarding him a particularly unnerving task. And Parsons knows this all too well.
In his appearance on the Fan Duel TV, he says, “When I was playing, I feared guarding Kevin Durant more than I feared guarding LeBron James, just because of … the way he can break you off. The way you can play great defense, he can shoot over you.”
.@ChandlerParsons and @bansky share their thoughts on Mario Chalmers saying nobody fears LeBron like they did MJ 👀#RunItBack with @MichelleDBeadle pic.twitter.com/M5BaZd4BnI
— FanDuel TV (@FanDuelTV) March 21, 2023
So, there you go. Chandler said it all. Durant developed his s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s over time and used his size and length to his advantage. But it usually leaves the one on guarding duty at a severe disadvantage.
