The 6-foot-1 guard gave Gill fits at both the college and pro levels. See the official Michael Jordan entry on Instagram here.ĭefinitely a surprise to many folks out there, coming in as the toughest assignment for Kendall Gill during his 15-season career is Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. However, my list is based on guarding a guy straight up.” “Michael Jordan was simply the best player I’ve ever played against.I know I surprised a lot of you with my number two pick. Make no mistake that Jordan is still the greatest player that Gill has ever had to face, despite coming in at No. His was faster than any I’ve gone against.” Along with all of his obvious skills, he was especially difficult to guard because of the triangle offense and his first step. “I laugh when people try to compare other guards and small forwards to him, I’ve played against all of them and he was flat out in a class of his own. Guarding the stronger, wiser version of MJ is what makes KG laugh so hard when he hears people compare other players to “His Airness”. KG had the pleasure of guarding MJ-affectionately known as “The Black Cat” by NBA players according to Gill-after he added a great deal of strength following his baseball sabbatical. Obviously, Michael Jordan, the one and only true GOAT was going to appear on Gill’s list at some point, it was just a matter of where in the top three would he finish. See the official Grant Hill entry on Instagram here. It was wicked! It took me about five seasons before I figured out how to slow his signature move down.” The hardest part of Grant’s game for me to guard was his crossover dribble. What most people don’t realize about Grant is that despite his clean cut look and the boy next door demeanor, he was a #*#*ing dog! If he got the ball down in the post, he always got buckets. He had the quickness of a 6’2” point guard. “For someone 6’8”, he was deceptively quick. Hill was ahead of his time as a big primary initiator on offense. KG scored 27 points, collected five steals and helped harass HIll into his career-high in turnovers (10). The Nets won the game 114-101, with Gill playing a stellar two-way game. The Nets needed to win that game-on the last day of the regular season-to make the postseason, and KG came up big against one of his toughest matchups. Gill recounts one specific game from the 1997-98 season, in which he had the tough assignment of guarding Hill. For his career he averaged 25.8 points and 6.4 assists per 100 possessions. At the height of his powers, Hill combined an incredible ability to score, with a tight-handle and elite playmaking skills. Injuries derailed the beginning of his promising career, stealing away the prime years of his career. He made the Hall of Fame as part of the 2018 class after a great 19-year NBA career. Grant Hill is well regarded as one of the most underrated legends in NBA history. See the official Reggie Miller entry on Instagram here. This was one of many games that showcased just how important Gill was to the Hornets defense. In one of the games that Gill did not play in-November 28, 1992- Miller went off for a career-high 57 points in 38 minutes of work. The numbers back up that KG usually did a decent job on Miller, but there is one interesting nugget historically. Miller specifically, would punish you if you weren’t diligent in getting back in transition defense. Gill compares chasing Miller through Indiana’s screens to football, saying that Antonio and Dale Davis “sought you out like offensive linemen trying to find linebackers.”ĭuring Miller’s tenure with Indiana, they were one of the more disciplined teams in the league. he second aspect of why I found him difficult to guard - chasing him through what seemed like 3000 picks per game! It was pure hell! After those Indiana games, I would be physically beat up.” His incredible endurance, combined with his shooting ability, made Miller one of the more frustrating guards for KG. Reggie Miller is unquestionably one of the greatest shooters of all-time, ranking second in NBA history in 3-point makes. Below are the last four players to make Gill’s list:
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