“Of course, I would have to go with myself,” said Durant with a smile, when discussing who he would choose as a winner in a 1v1 tournament. The Phoenix Suns star has been a vocal critic of the All-Star Weekend for a while. He even disagreed with the format change Adam Silver introduced to the recent All-Star game, stating “I hate it. I absolutely hate it. Terrible”. However, he was inclined to discuss a 1v1 tournament, as it would be “a cool addition to All-Star Weekend”. Furthermore, it would give the 36-year-old veteran a platform to show he can go head-to-head against some of the biggest names the NBA offers. However, if his recent remarks prove something, there is one player he would not mind facing.The Suns’ star recently appeared as a guest on ‘The Draymond Green Show’. Along with the discussion about a potential 2028 LA Olympics run and KD turning down the Warriors trade, the conversation also touched base on a potential 1v1 tournament format. Durant welcomed it, stating that he could face some tough competition from players like Jayson Tatum, Kyrie Irving, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. However, KD revealed that facing Giannis Antetokounmpo would be a thinker. After all, if he would face ‘The Greek Freak’ himself, Durant admitted “Giannis ones, man. I got to see how he going to approach the ones man”. Draymond Green’s co-host Baron Davis agreed as he added “Man I already know, I already know what he doing”. Has Giannis made himself that predictable? Evidently so.“Cuz the ones, you gotta be able to shoot that. You just gotta be able to just shoot anytime like fatal. He gonna straight bully you,” said Durant. As Baron Davis said that Giannis would certainly get as close as he can to the hoop, KD added, “For real. For real. We have to file him the whole time.” Yikes!It is no secret that Giannis Antetokounmpo is a tough offensive force to deal with. According to Forbes, Giannis’s greatest strength is his unyielding ability to attack the rim. After all, it allows him to get easy buckets whenever the Milwaukee Bucks need the points. What we all like to do in NBA 2K, this guy brings out in real life. However, despite his high scoring, the player struggles a bit with his overall shooting. Sure, his field goal percentage of 60.9% (12.4-20.3) could be considered acceptable. Unfortunately, Giannis’s 18.9% (0.2-0.8) 3-point percentage, and his 58.1% (6.0-10.4) free-throw percentage cannot.Feb 6, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during the second quarter at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsDespite Durant’s belief, Giannis may surprise the Suns star in a 1v1 tournament. After all, as highlighted by a ‘BasketballNews.com’ report published back in January, Giannis is attempting four mid-range shots per game. It is a notable increase from previous years. On top of that, he’s converting these attempts at a career-high rate of 47.8%. This is certainly placing him among the league’s elite midrange shooters. Furthermore, Kevin Durant himself doesn’t seem like he will give too much trouble to ‘The Greek Freak’. After all, KD is currently averaging 53.2% (9.8-18.4) with his field goals, 40.1% (2.3-5.8) with his 3-pointers, but 82.4% (5.0-6.1) with his free throws. However, we won’t know until we put both players in the ring (or the court) alone, right?If Giannis Antetokounmpo does end up beating Kevin Durant, then he won’t like it. After all, if Jay Williams is to be believed, then Durant has already made the world know how he feels about him and the Bucks star being even compared on the same scale. Then again, can Williams be believed?Kevin Durant criticized ESPN’s Jay Williams over Giannis Antetokounmpo comparison story: “Keep me out all that corny a-s talk”Back in June 2021, ESPN’s Jay Williams hosted another segment of ‘Get Up’. When discussing a Bucks-Nets matchup, the former basketball player turned analyst revealed how Kevin Durant once approached him at a Christmas party sometime back. During the conversation the two NBA stars had, Durant reportedly told Williams that “Don’t you ever compare me to Giannis”. Soon, the news reached the ears of Kevin Durant himself. He took to the comments section of an online post and wrote “This a Fu—in lie. Jay Williams can never speak for me, ever…. .” When that wasn’t felt enough, KD put out his own post so that his voice could reach all of his followers.“Mans will do anything to advance their careers in this media s–t, wanting to be accepted by an industry that will dispose of you whenever they please.” Durant wrote. “Keep me out all that corny a-s talk about whos better and legacy and all that dumb a-s shit. I don’t even talk like that”. Mans will do anything to advance their careers in this media shit, wanting to be accepted by an industry that will dispose of you whenever they please. Keep me out all that corny ass talk about whos better and legacy and all that dumb ass shit. I don’t even talk like that— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) June 8, 2021Well, we may never know what the truth is. However, in the 4 years since the incident, we know that KD continues doubting Giannis’s shooting ability. Therefore, the NBA should take note, and prove once and for all how right/wrong the veteran player is.The post Kevin Durant Still Doubts Giannis Antetokounmpo After Past Comparisons Nearly Land ESPN Vet in Hot Water appeared first on EssentiallySports.