(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
JJ Redick spent many years in the NBA so he knows a thing or two about basketball and what it takes to be a brilliant player.
Therefore, when he created a list of the five hardest players to guard, people paid attention.
Redick revealed his list on Tuesday’s episode of First Take and it was filled with some of the superstars you’d expect.
He said that Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns, Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers, and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets are currently the hardest athletes to guard.
.@jj_redick‘s hardest NBA players to guard:
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Steph Curry
Kevin Durant
Joel Embiid
Nikola Jokić pic.twitter.com/QXUY4P3NNQ
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 28, 2023
Redick’s list was compiled through a number of advanced statistics as well as a deep knowledge of the game.
What’s interesting about this assortment of players is that they are different in their styles of play.
It’s obvious that Curry’s game is remarkably different from Antetokounmpo’s and that Durant doesn’t play like Jokic.
They are all very tough to guard and slow down for a number of different reasons.
The list isn’t surprising in some ways because most people agree that these are five of the greatest players in the league.
Two of the stars, Embiid and Jokic, are seemingly neck-and-neck for the MVP trophy this year while the other three have all won it at least once.
The NBA is currently filled with some amazing defenders but these are the players that can always figure them out, sail past them, and consistently find ways to score.
Whether it be via free throws, charging into the paint, mid-court jumpers, or deep threes, these five players are regularly unstoppable.
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