Defending Steph Curry is one of the NBA's most difficult and strenuous tasks.
Players around the league have gone on record and named Curry as one of the toughest players to guard, and Dallas Mavericks forward Grant Williams is the latest addition to that ongoing long list.
"This is what I've learned. [Kevin Durant] is the hardest person to guard in the league by far, but Steph Curry is the most impactful player on a team in the league," Williams said on a recent episode of the "Tidal League" podcast. "You have to guard him as well on the ball as you do off. Once he gets off the ball, you're probably more scared of him off the ball than you are on."
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Williams was acquired by the Mavericks earlier this month after spending his first four seasons with the Boston Celtics.
The 24-year-old grew up in Charlotte, N.C., just like Curry. Williams said he watched Curry closely before he entered the league in 2019 and followed along during all of the intense Warriors-Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Finals series.
And in just his third NBA season, Williams got the true, up-close Steph Curry experience when the Warriors and Celtics battled in the 2022 NBA Finals.
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"I remember watching [the Warriors-Cavaliers series] and he was absurd to watch then and then I played against him and I was like, 'He's different, bro.' I learned to appreciate him then," Williams said.
Williams, now in the Western Conference, will see a whole lot more of Curry and the Warriors. And if tasked with defending him, he knows exactly what to expect.