The New Orleans Pelicans shooting guard C.J. McCollum ranks Lakers’ Anthony Davis over Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic as the tougher player he’s had to face in playoffs.
“I gotta preface this with a lot of things here,” McCollum said of his rankings. “I was told to make a list about the hardest five players that I’ve played against in the playoffs, starting like this. I have not had to play against this version of the Joker, right? When I played against him, he was not the two-time MVP. He was not what we’re seeing now.
“But I have him at five. Obviously, you can argue either way, lots of ways. The version I played against, I had him as the fifth-hardest player that we’ve had to guard as a team collectively. Obviously I’m not guarding him. But we see what he has to offer, the versatility, the skill set, averaging a triple-double, gets 30 when he feels like it, can get 40.
“Four, I got AD. I played against bubble AD, AD that shot 3s. I played against AD that played some 5 and enjoyed playing the 5. I played against AD who was gettin’ treatment at 2 a.m. so he was always available AD. I have him at four. He speaks volumes in terms of defense, presence, what he has to offer and the impact.”
