Ex NBA Star Snubs LeBron James, Names 5 Hardest Players to Guard in NBA

• JJ Reddick has named his top 5 list of the hardest players to guard in the NBA
• He has included Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Joel Embiid but snubbed Luka Doncic
• A new generation of players, like Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic, is taking over the NBA

Former NBA star JJ Reddick has named his top 5 list of hardest players to guard in the NBA.

He included the like of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Joel Embiid bus snubbed veteran star LeBron James.

In the last decade, the NBA has been dominated by James, Durant, Curry, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook. Those players have won a combined nine MVP awards.

However, they are getting to a different stage of their careers. Most of them are in their mid-30s, meaning they've lost some of their explosiveness which drastically reduces their potency on the court.

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A new generation of stars, namely: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, and Nikola Jokic, have taken over the NBA in the last few years, and it is clear they will dominate for years to come.

Reddick names hardest players to guard

Reddick, who played 15 seasons in the NBA, named five players who are the hardest to guard in the NBA. On that list are Durant, Curry, Embiid, Nikola Jokic and Antetokounmpo. All these players except Durant were named to the 2022/23 All-NBA teams.

Two notable names missing were Doncic and James. At 38, James averaged 28.9 points per game this past season, showing why he can still do it at the top level.

Doncic broke a few NBA records in the 2022/23 season. The Dallas Mavericks superstar averaged 32.4 points per game, the second-best in the league behind MVP Embiid.

Despite persistent injury problems, Durant delivered a historic individual season. He is the 1st 55-40-90 player in NBA history. In the 2022-23 season, he shot 56% from the field, 40% from 3, and 92% from the free throw line, per Fadeaway World.

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Another player that has caught the eye is two-time MVP Jokic. The Denver Nuggets star is averaging a triple-double in the playoffs and is looking to lead the Nuggets to their first NBA championship.

Jokic makes history, again

Sports Brief earlier reported on Jokic making history in Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Finals.

Jokic became the second player in NBA history to record a triple-double in his finals debut.

He joined legendary point guard Jason Kidd on that exclusive list. Kidd posted a triple-double in his Finals debut against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2002.