Tim Hardaway Reveals One Of Most Underrated Point Guards From The 1990s

The 1980s and `90s were the golden era of the pass-first point guards. Their primary goal was to get the ball into the hands of the scorers. Nowadays, it has shifted to scoring guards such as Steph Curry, Donovan Mitchell and Damian Lillard.

But one guard who deserves credit for starting a new trend is Phoenix Suns legend Kevin Johnson, who was one of the league's toughest covers because of his ability to score and facilitate.

“I’m a tell y’all about someone who doesn’t get enough credit, and he was a bad (bleep), Kevin Johnson,” Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway said on The Draymond Green Show w/ Baron Davis. “When me and K.J. played against each other, I guarantee you neither of us slept much the night before. We knew what was coming the next day. I was always trying to stay in front of him. Trying not to get crossed, you know — trying not to get dunked on, ‘cause he would dunk on you.”'

Johnson began his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1987 before being traded to the Suns at midseason. He had three straight seasons with averages of at least 20 points and 10 assists. His numbers dipped when the Suns traded for Charles Barkley but Johnson's game kept evolving.

“I knew he couldn’t hit the three," Hardaway said. "He only started knocking those down late in his career and stuff like that. A lotta people don’t know how much of a bad (bleep) K.J. was. He was (bleeping) tough."

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