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Nick Young thinks he is a better defender than Kawhi Leonard

Maybe Young is trying to play mind games with Kawhi?

Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Lakers wing Nick Young has never been known for his defense over his eight seasons in the NBA, making his primary mark as a bench scorer on several teams until being signed by his hometown Lakers. This consensus has not stopped Young from championing his defensive prowess in the past, most recently when he claimed the NBA should undertake an investigation if he did not win Defensive Player of the Year this season.

To win that prestigious award, Young would have to defeat the reigning DPOY, San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard, which Young says has already happened. "It's tough. He's getting to my level," Young told Baxter Holmes of ESPN when asked whether he or Leonard was the better defender before Leonard's Spurs took on the Lakers on Friday night.

Young was (probably) kidding, but sometimes it's hard to know with the man known as Swaggy-P. Even if he doesn't win Defensive Player of the Year though, Young would certainly get a lot of votes for "Most Quotable" or "Most Irattionally Confident" Player of the Year if either of those were actual awards.

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