The NBA’s 5 Toughest Players To Guard
Just a couple of minutes ago, Jared Dudley tweeted this: “I have had the privledge of guarding Kobe, LeBron, @dwadeofficial @carmeloanthony, and @KevinDurant35. Who do u think is the hardest to guard?”
While Dudley went on to say he’s had the toughest time guarding Durant, more than any other player in the NBA (behind Kobe) – to quote JD: “He is def a problem.” – we thought this would be a great question for DimeMag.com.
It’s not surprising that all of these guys (except Kobe because of his age) were mentioned yesterday as players to build a team around. It’s just goes to show that if you can’t stop ‘em, sign ‘em.
Who do you think is the toughest player to guard in the NBA?
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February 24th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
Alex "Robocop" Murphy says:
The hardest player to guard tie between Jason Collins and Chris Quinn.
February 24th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
Buddha says:
Shaq, Young T-Mac,T-Mac
and of course when Kobe’s hot theres literally NOTHING u can do. Ask the raptors
February 24th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
Jah says:
1. Kobe Bryant
- the best basketball player in the world, he is officially unguardable
2. LeBron James
- possesses the size, ability and aggressiveness to give you emotional imbalances
3. Dwyane Wade
- he is utterly impossible to stay in front of with a MONEY mid-range game
4. Kevin Durant
- 6’9″, long arms and incredible range…on 21 year-old legs
5. Carmelo Anthony
- unstoppable jumper so you must stay on him, silky moves you mustn’t get too close to him…hence the conundrum
February 24th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
Dennis Castro says:
The most difficult player to guard? Easy, Tiger Woods. He most def qualifies as a “player”, and he was routinely beating double and even triple teams.
February 24th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
dagwaller says:
@ Dennis – yea but once the Tiger-Stopper came around, his game was finished
February 24th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
Big Mike says:
Tigger Woods fail
lol
February 24th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
Jay says:
My guess would actually be LeBron. Even though Kobe clearly is the better offensive player overall, the fact that LeBron can get by you in so many ways while also being able to stick jumpers in your eye now makes him the toughest to guard.
But I agree with Buddha though, when Kobe is hot, there is just absolutely nothing a defender can do.
BTW, all the dudes who made attempts at humor in this thread, please give up on comedy forever.
February 24th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
trey bing bay says:
It’s a tough one, Kobe would be the obvious choice just because i’ve seen him destroying people for longer than i have Lebron or Melo. Melo can hurt you inside and outside, he’s got a better post game than the other two but Lebron – well Lebron is just a machine that will run you down then come back and run you over just to make sure.
I guess Kobe gets it, he’s got more tools in his arsenal than the other two.
February 24th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
isotope says:
hard to guard a player that never gets off the bench. Adam Morrison?
February 24th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Dennis Castro says:
Lighten up Jay, it’s just the interwebs.
February 24th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Ian says:
lol isotope got it right
dirk is second pfs cant keep up and sfs (that dont play for golden state) are to small to guard that shot.
February 24th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Big V says:
Not a top-5 guy, but Jamal Crawford is a tough assignment for anyone.
February 24th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Big V says:
Not a top-5 guy, but Jamal Crawford is a tough assignment for anyone, especially when he’s on a hot streak.
February 24th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
Apollo says:
1. Kobe Bryant
2. LeBron James
3. Kevin Durant
4. Dwayne Wade
5. Chris Bosh
Melo, regardless of his PPG totals, does not deserve to be in the top five. If he were to make it, it would be in the 5th spot but Chris Bosh is just so much more efficient than Melo. Melo scores more per game than Bosh due to shot volumne, not efficiency. Bosh is 5th, Melo is 6th.
February 24th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Apollo says:
One more name I’ll throw out there who also rivals Melo, Chris Paul.
He’s one of the fastest players in the league, may have the best handle, gives you 21PPG, dishes 11 dimes, shoots an amazing(for a PG) 50.4% from the field. Wow.
February 24th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
POPPI GEE says:
I would say the toughest to guard is one of Ron Artest’s many friends in the hood probably serving time.
I think it would be more interesting to see who we think is the hardest to guard that was old skool.
I mean aside from Jordan and there would have to be a point of eras, can’t go back to Wilt and them.
I mean you have so many to choose, Bird, Magic, McHale, Barkley, Dream, Robinson, and on.
I think for todays time it’s to cut and dry with the top say about 7 to 10. Cause they are so above the rest.
But aside from Kobe if I just had to pick one player I would say LeBron just due to sheer size and talent.
Old skool I want to say McHale, but I think I will go with Dream and yea I am bias.
February 24th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
Michorizo says:
Rudy should bone all the women he can here in the USA and move on if he feels its better in Europe…I’m sure it’s hairier.
February 24th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
Michorizo says:
oops wrong story
February 24th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
POPPI GEE says:
WHOA ^^^^ ROFL BBBBBBWWAAAHHAAHHHHAHA!
February 24th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
LakeShow84 says:
^^ lol ^^ yeah wrong spot buddy
Hardest player to guard would have to be Melo.. now HIS midrange game is MONEY, way more so than Wade and Lebron.. plus he can post you up and hes on of the few players in the NBA who will chase down his miss and DEEBO you on the glass.. oh and hes a REAL clutch player who also has a money 3pt shot..
Most annoying player to guard would have to be Lebron.. Must be rough having to basically avoid breathing on dude without the whistle blowing.. love watching players nowadays in the 4th try to guard Lebron.. half of them look like they about to cry with the shit he gets sometimes lol
February 24th, 2010 at 2:39 pm
Leroy Shonuff says:
Gilbert before the knee injury. The level of cockiness that he played with crazy. Dude put 61 on kobe in LA!!! He was fast, strong and had range. Also AI…no need to explain that. Ask tyronne lue and the whole nba from 96-08.
Now of days it’s Durant. Wanna bully him fine, he’ll pass. Wanna play him close he runs past you. Wanna play off he pulls from anywhere. Plus his shot is unblockable. Him and kobe is horrible. Steven Jackson said guarding kobe is hard cause you never know what he is gonna do. The easiest…rondo
February 24th, 2010 at 2:47 pm
Raj S says:
Dirk Diggler!!!
February 24th, 2010 at 2:53 pm
isotope says:
Two questions.
1) Why is Jared Dudley guarding Kobe and Wade?
and
2) Why do we care what he thinks/says?
February 24th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Gabriel Brogden says:
(no particular order)
Vince
The ISOs have me convinced!
His shot is the only thing that can stop him.
Other than that, Vince is a tough assignment
KD
Imagine how tough he is if he packs on some muscle??
Melo
Unfortunately, I have to agree with Lakeshow’s 1ST paragraph and 1ST paragraph only.
Bron
Borrowing from Gee, sheer size and talent makes his covers a toughie
Deron
I haven’t truly seen him shut down.
He’s sorta like Vince too.
He’s his own enemy.
February 24th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Lucas Shapiro says:
I could imagine Tim Duncan being very frustrating to guard, but toughest goes to both LeBron and Kobe. Both can punish you in so many ways.
February 24th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
LakeShow84 says:
@ Brogden
Aye i didnt mean it like thats all he got going for him!! Lebron is a damn rough assignment lol i couldnt help but say it tho, sorry..
@ Leroy
Lol @ the Rondo statement..
February 24th, 2010 at 3:11 pm
Chicagorilla says:
Assuming that we are talking about one on one.
1)Shaq still seems like the toughest person to guard. It’s either foul or get destroyed by his 60% FG.
2)Dwight Howard, assuming that we are talking bout one on one, D12 is second only to Shaq in that you either foul or get destroyed.
3) Melo- can take you out from anywhere on the floor at anytime.
4) Kobe – no need to explain why he’s on the list, but he’s below the others because they can punish you closer to the basket which is more efficient. Kobe is the toughest on the perimeter.
5) Wade and Durantula…can pull in your face (and hit) with ease. Post up, athletic. there pretty much is no way to stop them by yourself.
Honrable mention is Yao Ming.
February 24th, 2010 at 3:11 pm
SJ says:
I still think TD is one of the toughest players to guard in the NBA. Even at his age, he can still knock ‘em down with ease. Gotta say toughest is a tie between Kobe and Durant. Next year, I’ll probably have to say Durant takes the top spot. Dude can SCORE. Next in line is another tie between Carmelo and LBJ… probably get some hate for this, though. Carmelo is legitimately a consistent scoring machine, and LBJ is, well, the most physically gifted player in the league.
February 24th, 2010 at 3:28 pm
Royal says:
How can we answer this question none of us have ever guarded any of these guys
February 24th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
franklin says:
I gotta say Manu. I was reading that NYT profile on Shane Battier from last year and they were talking about his scouting reports. Apparently Ginobili is a statistical freak and is equally dangerous going left or right, so you can’t play him off one side.
February 24th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
Ian says:
poppi
dave and dream in the 90s good picks there the other centers knew they were getting 30 dropped on them with ease.
February 24th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
Adam Flomenbaum says:
I would have to put KD35 right after Kobe and Lebron now – Lebron could muscle any 1,2,3 or 4, and some 5′s, and Kobe could shoot with consistent accuracy over anybody in the league. KD is so hard to defend because of his ridiculous combination of length+height+agility, and the only person I see being able to take KD 1-on-1 is Anthony Randolph. Of course Anthony Randolph has to A) come back from injury fully healthy, B) get Don Nelson out of GS and C) Fully realize the potential that got him a spot on the Team USA training squad – I don’t know anyone else who has the same physique as KD, though.
February 24th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
Heckler says:
deron williams is a problem to guard.
rip hamilton:
by the time rip gets the ball, you done ran thru 100 screens and picks chasing him. he prob makes a defender work the hardest
carmelo anthony:
too many moves from every angle. more than lebron who is just always gonna try to drive from the top of the key and go left. anthony has some post moves. the quickest forst step and he plays physical. dont send no skinny defenseman like tayshuan prince at Melo. he’d come back to the bench with cracked ribs
February 24th, 2010 at 6:17 pm
quest??? says:
who are the 5 toughest ballers of all time…think about it…Iverson, Iverson, Iverson, Iverson, Iverson..because he spit hot fiya
February 24th, 2010 at 6:42 pm
buck says:
iono but this mofo is ugly
February 24th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
ProphetGK says:
Whoa hey hey, lets leave the Raps hate of this shall we. Hardest players to guard, don’t forget Bosh, can post you up and has a sweet stroke on that mid-range J, just ask D12 if you don’t believe me.
February 25th, 2010 at 12:25 am
dennis stone says:
i`ll go with ron artest and say Brandon Roy
February 25th, 2010 at 3:17 am
sh!tfaced says:
LOL@Rondo comment.
Gotta go with Ron Artest. Downright scary. Especially during his peak crazy days. Hard enough to guard him physically, but you also have to deal with his fragile mental shit too.
The man could go wacko on you at any given time, not just during the game but in time outs, halftime, before or after the game, during practice, at the hotel or even when riding the team bus.
February 25th, 2010 at 3:18 am
sh!tfaced says:
Other tough players to guard? Guys like Frye, Matt Bonner, Brian Cook, Scalabrine, Boobie, Steve Novak, etc.
Because they are taken for granted most of the time.
Those supposedly easy to handle, almost non-threatening specialist type of players who thrive on defensive lapses and are practically an insult to be matched up with defensively. Show just a moment of weakness or lose focus and they will make you pay big time with a three and a trip to the coach’s doghouse.
February 25th, 2010 at 3:19 am
leeroy says:
Although impossible to say I’d have to imagine Durant a slightly tougher player to guard over Lebron, mainly because while Lebron can muscle it in (or distribute off the dribble) he lacks a consistent jumper. Durant is far less physical but his stroke is so ridiculously automatic that his 6’9 frame and enormous wingspan makes it terribly difficult to disrupt his shot (similar to Dirk), plus he is extremely effective in drawing fouls. Lebron, while arguably the best total package in the NBA, is simply not as efficient a scorer as Durant, Kobe, or ‘Melo.
February 25th, 2010 at 8:57 am
Jazz Man says:
1.) Kobe- It doesn’t matter the person playing defense, because he can adjust (and he gets to the cup with ease splitting double teams).
2.)Durant- His only weak spot is his strength (but that will come in due time).
3.) Melo- Since he lost weight he is more agile and the “J” is money anywhere on the court now and is a beast in the paint (scores or gets fouled)
4.) Lebron- He is in the spot clearly because of no creativity getting by the defense and getting having an unstoppable signature move (do you notice when he can’t get by his defender he backs up to half court and tries to run through them or jacks up the 3). And folks wonder why he isn’t getting that ring just yet…
5.) Nash- He might be getting up there in age, but he makes it look too easy on the drive, the “J” is wet from anywhere on the court and if you foul him its automatic….enough said!!
February 25th, 2010 at 10:49 am
elk burg says:
dirk, deron, lebron, kobe, wade
February 25th, 2010 at 10:53 am
elk burg says:
f*ck deron i 4got melo
February 25th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
RC says:
Hardest player to guard of all time
1)Michael Jordan
2)Shaq
February 25th, 2010 at 7:09 pm
Izz says:
Definetly Carmelo Anthony because he has the easiest time scoring on anybody. I would also say JR Smith because when he gets hot he is the greatest player ever.
February 25th, 2010 at 10:54 pm
BlackMan says:
who commenting has actually guarded these guys?
February 26th, 2010 at 5:01 am
Sweet English says:
None of you have ever guarded any of these players, so how can you have a valid opinion?
(p.s, Answer: You can’t)
February 27th, 2010 at 10:44 pm
Brother indeed!!!!!!! says:
IT’S KOBE. WHILE LEBRON, MELO, DURANT AND WADE HAVE IMPRESSIVE GAMES(AND ARE YOUNGER), KOBE IS A COMPLETE PLAYER. HE CAN SCORE ANYWAY YOU LIKE. JUST LOOK AT HIS FOOTWORK AND BALLHANDLING THE WAY HE SCORES ON DEFENDERS IS MORE IMPESSIVE THAN WHEN ANYBODY ELSE DOES IT AND NOW THAT HIS POST GAME HAS IMPROVED, HE HAS ANOTHER THREAT IN HIS ARSENAL.JUST LOOK AT THE WAY HE TAKES THE AIR OUT OF OTHER TEAMS WHEN HE’S GOT IT GOING, NO OTHER PLAYER AT THIS POINT HAS THAT FIRE THAT KOBE HAS, HE IS THE BEST.
February 28th, 2010 at 6:32 am
Vinman says:
Kobe, Joe Johnson, Melo, Durant, LBJ
Honorable Mention:
Dirk, Monta Ellis, Boget, Wade, Baron Davis