Basketball experts...is Kawhi Leonard a top 5 player in the NBA?

[humble Hermit]

People tend to forget Leonard picked up some crappy fouls in the 1st 2 games

Game one he picked up early fouls and rendered him inefficient; they blew the heat out and Pop didn't put him back in cause the game was out of reach...hence him playing 23mins
Game 2 He fouled out in 31mins

which is why is numbers reflect that ...

afterwards tho

23.6 pts on 68% the final 3 games

 

[NoMorePie]

Finals MVP
2x Defensive Player of the Year
2nd place in MVP voting

and also, Kawhi Leonard played more than 30 minutes per game, and achieved one of the highest offensive and defensive rating difference ever. There are only two non-big man players that achieved similar numbers, Michael Jordan andLeBron James.

This is based on Basketball Reference’s interpretation of the stat. He had a 121 offensive rating and a 96 defensive rating which is a difference of 25. He is the only wing or guard to ever do this while playing over 30 minutes a game. For reference,

Jordan’s best year in this was in his 95-96 season when he had a 124 ortg and 100 drtg. CP

All before the age of 25

He' got the accolades to warrant him in being top 5.

 

[NoMorePie]

People tend to forget Leonard picked up some crappy fouls in the 1st 2 games

Game one he picked up early fouls and rendered him inefficient; they blew the heat out and Pop didn't put him back in cause the game was out of reach...hence him playing 23mins
Game 2 He fouled out in 31mins

which is why is numbers reflect that ...

afterwards tho

23.6 pts on 68% the final 3 games

 

[humble Hermit]

lol PG didn't have the fortune to go and play in that spurs system. Skillset wise PG is superior than Leonard. Leonard is a better spot up shooter, but PG is better at creating his own shot, shots for others, and running the O.

Why Kawhi does gets penalized for playing in a "System" when other star players can team up and play with the best of the best, or play for other systems (Triangle anyone

) and be applauded?

Dirk, KG has/had a better skillset than Shaq, would you say either one were the better player?

 

[malbaker86]

while Lebron (who was guarded by Leonard)
dropped 28 ppg on 57 fg% and 52 3pt% with more assists, rebounds, and steals

Stop acting like Bron was dropping 28 and those stats while being guarded ALL GAME by leoanrd. This is a narrative that needs to stop and i'ma bout to do that NOW:





Kawhi Leonard wreaking havoc on LeBron

Only 17 percent of LeBron’s touches against Leonard in the Finals have resulted in a field goal attempt. That’s half the rate James has against all other defenders. That means Leonard has been successful forcing him to pass the ball or turn it over.

Lebron's Statline vs. Kawhi in the 2014 Finals: An In-Depth Look • /r/nba

This means Lebron’s game-by-game numbers (everything but the points remains the same of course) when specifically guarded by Kawhi throughout the 2014 Finals would look as follows:

Game 1: 11pts/6rbs/3asts/3stls/4tov

Game 2: 15pts/10rbs/3asts/2stls/4tov

Game 3: 4pts/5rbs/7asts/5stls/7tov

Game 4: 14pts/8rbs/2asts/0stls/3tov (if you count the one possession I referred to earlier in the game summary, Lebron would have 17pts on Kawhi in this game)

Game 5: 2pts/10rbs/5asts/0stls/1tov/2blks For the series then, Lebron’s averages against Kawhi throughout the five game series look like this:

9.6pts/7.8rbs/4asts/2stls/3.8tov/0.4blks

With the added 3pts from the aforementioned unresolved possession in Game 4, Lebron’s point average against Kawhi spikes up to a whopping 9.8pts/game

 

[Remote]

How many times are y'all gonna use this cornball "system" excuse for every Spurs player?



I wish y'all would use that shyt for every championship Phil Jackson team running the triangle.

 

[Ineedmoney504]

People tend to forget Leonard picked up some crappy fouls in the 1st 2 games

Game one he picked up early fouls and rendered him inefficient; they blew the heat out and Pop didn't put him back in cause the game was out of reach...hence him playing 23mins
Game 2 He fouled out in 31mins

which is why is numbers reflect that ...

afterwards tho

23.6 pts on 68% the final 3 games

So basically with or without him they was going to win the series. He's a great system player

 

[humble Hermit]

So basically with or without him they was going to win the series. He's a great system player

He maximizes the "system" he plays in, like all superstars do.

Without him, they definitely doesn't win.

We all know how Kobe and Shaq were before the triangle

How KG, PP and Allen never lead their team to the finals before Thibbs and Doc

How Bron went to Miami and got 2, adjusting to the system originally designed for Wade.

Common theme were that they had great players around them, yet Claw gets shytted on constantly for it.

 

[tone wone]

So basically with or without him they was going to win the series. He's a great system player

New age Cedric Maxwell ass nikka ain't getting another Finals MVP.

What happened against the Clippers in 2015 when he got lit up by Paul and couldn't score on fukkin Jamal Crawford?

 

[L&HH]

Kawhi was a Finals MVP at 22 and is a 2 time DPOY at 25.

But does he get these accolades if he isn't on the Spurs?

 

[Primetime21]

But does he get these accolades if he isn't on the Spurs?

I dont know, that's the only team I've seen him play on though

 

[duckbutta]

People throw this "system" player around for Kawhi to try and discredit him meanwhile lil eggshell couldn't sniff a top anything spot until he started shooting more 3 pointers than anyone in the history of basketball

 

[duckbutta]

anyone who thinks leonard is better than PG is lacking in basketball accumen.

put leonard on the pacers and their not making the ECFs to even face lebron and the heat.

George can carry a team while Leonard cannot at this point in his career.

Somehow Kawhi is the first or second best scorer on the team, best freethrow shooter on the team, best 3 point shooter on the team, best defender on his team, the most versatile defender on his team...but he is not carrying them...

I guess if you replaced Kawhi with a guy who couldn't lead them in scoring, and shooting, and defense, they wouldn't miss a beat and still would have won 67 games and still would have posted historic defensive numbers huh?

Dude finished SECOND in MVP voting but he not carrying a team ...

The coli yall...where you can be ranked second in the whole league as far as value to a team goes...but you don't carry a team

 

[humble Hermit]

But does he get these accolades if he isn't on the Spurs?

He's only played for 1 team and made improvements every year....

Danny Green actually digressed in the past 2 years .

TBH everybody on that team (outside of Leonard of course) digressed a bit but this mystical, quantum physical system, that the Spurs run, is the jell to it all.





Questions brehs, is Jimmy Butler a system player?

 

[Amare's Right Hook]

Yes