Lakers Update: Anthony Davis Names '6'11' Forward As Toughest Player He's Ever Guarded

Anthony Davis’ toughest rival isn’t really a player who can dominate the paint, but someone who seemingly has no obvious weaknesses.

The evolution of NBA big men has been significant in recent years. Nowadays, centers and power forwards such as Nikola Jokic and Kristaps Porzingis can also function as guards, making them hard to figure out inside the court.

However, according to Los Angeles Lakers star forward Davis, the toughest player he has ever faced isn’t even a big man. Instead, it was a “6’11" small forward named Kevin Durant.

“KD, 6’11, can do it all from anywhere on the floor, ” Davis replied when asked who’s the toughest player to guard in the NBA in a recent AMA on Reddit.

“I’ve won some battles, he’s won some battles, but having to guard him is just tough,” he continued.

Over the course of his stellar NBA career, Durant has been a headache to defenders. He has managed to utilize his length that enables him to score in various ways.

Unlike other scorers, the two-time NBA champion has also improved his defense over time and it didn’t take long before the Brooklyn Nets noticed it.

“He does everything so well. Offensively, we can talk about that all day,” Nets guard Landry Shamet recently said of Durant. “The things he does [like] score the ball at ease, makes it look easy. Defensively, he cleans up a lot of problems at the rim at times. He’s a better rim protector than people give him credit for.”

“There are no glare weaknesses in his game and that’s why he is who he is,” he added.

Nets head coach Steve Nash, on the other hand, added that “KD,” when fit and healthy, can even be a grade-A defender as well.

“We know Kevin [Durant] can be an A defender when he’s fully fit and in rhythm,” Nash assessed. "I think that’s still something he has a gap to close here with that because so much has been thrown at him."

“I think it’s hard for Kevin to fully complete his game without time,” the coach further elaborated. “We know the potential is there and we see glimpses of it, but I think if we are patient with it and allow him to get his legs, rhythm, and all those things to come back, he definitely can be an A-defender for us.”