Over the past few years, Los Angeles Clippers Forward Kawhi Leonard has created a basketball resume that has thrust him into being considered one of the best in the NBA. Rightfully so, he is a back to back defensive player of the year and has been named an NBA finals MVP for two different teams. The awards along with his dominance in the playoffs have led some to state he’s now the best player in the league. Ousting LeBron James, who is universally considered the best player in the world for over ten years straight.
In the words of ESPN college game day commentator Lee Corso, not so fast!
The epic second round collapse Kawhi and the Los Angeles Clippers suffered at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, is not the only mark against why Kawhi should not (and never should have been) compared to LeBron James as the games best.
Here’s why.
Even more so than Tim Duncan, the NBA has never seen a superstar as removed from the media and spotlight, as well as his own teams like Kawhi Leonard. He has a global platform to use and doesn’t use it for anything. Not even to promote the game of basketball. He says nothing and we know nothing about him. But that should not count against him for anything basketball related. It does take into account being the best overall. However, to be the best, you must have an on and off-court presence.
For example….
Simply look at the press conferences post the loss to Denver after game 7. Head coach Doc Rivers had true words to say, even Lou “lemon pepper Lou” Williams (a nonstarter for the Clippers) had more substantial words to say. Kawhi, barley nothing. He’s the best player for his team, yet had the fewest words to say about their epic loss to a team after being up 3 – 1.
Now let’s take a look at the NBA Finals MVP in which he rightfully won. The following is to not discredit his accomplishments, rather to put them in their respective place amongst the greatest. In this case, specifically against LeBron James.
Kawhi’s first finals MVP, the 2014 NBA finals.
In a revenge series with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014 Kawhi won the finals MVP. The Spurs had lost a seven-game series classic against the Miami Heat in 2013. In the 2014 Finals, LeBron dropped 28 PPG (points per game) against Kawhi’s defense. The highest PPG total for either team. No other Miami Heat player outside Dwayne Wade averaged more than 15 PPG. Simply put, LeBron was the only Heat player that showed up to that finals. The Spurs on the other hand had four players drop at least 15 PPG in the series. Kawhi won MVP for he was the best amongst a team that played some of the best overall team basketball to date in the NBA finals history. Thus the real reason he won MVP, not cause he “locked down” LeBron James.
Kawhi’s second NBA final MVP, the 2019 NBA finals.
In 2019… in a LeBron-less Eastern Conference (he joined the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason), Kawhi forced a trade from the San Antonio Spurs and ended up on a “one player away” team in Toronto (the Toronto Raptors had the best record in the Eastern Conference the year before). He won against a hurt Golden State Warriors squad (if Kevin Durrant or Thompson weren’t hurt, GS would have won), whereas the Raptors had everyone healthy and ready to go. Once again, Kwahi just happened to be the best all-around player on a very good, well-coached, and healthy team.
The here and now.
Now in the same conference, LeBron took a less talented and older Lakers team to the number one seed over Kawhi and the Clippers, and has beaten the Clippers in their last two outings… before the shutdown and once in the post-shutdown NBA bubble.
Kawhi’s hand-picked superteam Clippers team had to go six games against the Dallas Mavericks. A team that only had one great healthy player in Luka Doncic. Only to advance and lose after being up 3-1 with a loaded Clippers squad against the Denver Nuggets.
LeBron wouldn’t be allowed back in the country if that were to happen to him. LeBron losing in the second round with a handpicked team!? It would have ruined his legacy.
So… a claw (Kawhi’s nickname due to his defense) may be good in a little dogfight, but I’ll take a King for the long haul!