I don't know what's more ridiculous. The fact that Leonard still wears cornrows or Barkley saying that. Best player in the world is LeBron James with Stephen Curry behind him. LeBron and Sir Charles have never been the best of friends so this really comes as no surprise. If I was building a team I would take into accord that Leonard is 23 or 24 and Bron is 31 but as of now, Leonard is not even close.
Charles Barkley says Kawhi Leonard is best basketball player in the world
- Thread starter J.J.
- Start date
Kawhi Leonard is still underrated somehow and he is a finals MVP. I do have to agree with you though that he isn't probably even a top 10 player in this league at the moment. I would have Lebron, Curry, Durant, Cousins, Davis, Paul, Westbrook definitely above him with an argument to be made for Griffin, George and Harden (the way Harden has been playing this year is so much worse compared to last so that is why I have him as a maybe).
Leonard is a defensive machine and prior to last night ( I don't know if it has changed from any games) was the leading 3pt shooter in the league at 48%. The dude is getting more moves now to go inside or when he is on the low block so he has an array of moves for sure. However, just like Curry look at the team he is around. He has the greatest coach in history, arguably the greatest PF ever on his team, the most wanted free agent from last year and Tony Parker (btw how much has he stepped up the last few weeks. Looks like his old self). Ginobili still is crafty and Danny Green is a fanatastic three point shooter, maybe not so much the last month but he still keeps teams honest. With a lot of good players coming off the bench as well it's actually hard to find a way to guard everyone. How can you double team anyone consistently on the Spurs? I wonder how he would go on the Jazz if they didn't have Hayward or for the Pacers if they didn't have George. I think the kid is awesome and is the face of the franchise for sure but he isn't the best player in the world just yet.
Leonard is a defensive machine and prior to last night ( I don't know if it has changed from any games) was the leading 3pt shooter in the league at 48%. The dude is getting more moves now to go inside or when he is on the low block so he has an array of moves for sure. However, just like Curry look at the team he is around. He has the greatest coach in history, arguably the greatest PF ever on his team, the most wanted free agent from last year and Tony Parker (btw how much has he stepped up the last few weeks. Looks like his old self). Ginobili still is crafty and Danny Green is a fanatastic three point shooter, maybe not so much the last month but he still keeps teams honest. With a lot of good players coming off the bench as well it's actually hard to find a way to guard everyone. How can you double team anyone consistently on the Spurs? I wonder how he would go on the Jazz if they didn't have Hayward or for the Pacers if they didn't have George. I think the kid is awesome and is the face of the franchise for sure but he isn't the best player in the world just yet.
Leonard affects the game because he's so involved. His presence in the game along disrupts a team's game plan. It's just like when you have Curry of LBJ on the court. The things he does goes beyond what the box score shows. One thing is for sure you cannot isolate against him. Top 10 isn't a big stretch - but out of the players you have listed I would take him over Harden easily. The scary part is this kid hasn't reached his prime yet.
Richard Blonoff
Make America Rassle Again
Leonard is a very good player who despite being the best player on the Spurs, is criminally underrated. I understand playing on a team with Duncan, Parker, and Manu is going to lead to someone being left out in the media spotlight, but Leonard is going to carry that team into the future. There are few two way players better than him.
I like George Hill, he is a serviceable point guard, but I regret everyday that we traded Leonard for Hill back when Leonard was drafted. Could you imagine a team with both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard? Who cares if they both play the 3, I get hard thinking of what could have been.
I like George Hill, he is a serviceable point guard, but I regret everyday that we traded Leonard for Hill back when Leonard was drafted. Could you imagine a team with both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard? Who cares if they both play the 3, I get hard thinking of what could have been.
I see your point. I would have pulled the trade too, honestly. With Paul George and Danny Granger there at the time there was no big need for Leonard. I certainly don't think they couldve seen Granger's knees failing him and I always looked at it as Pacers drafting Leonard for the Spurs(has that ever been confirmed?).
You guys are completely doing Leonard a dis-service. Not even top 10 you say? Bullshit. He is not only the best defender on the Spurs team, but he is the best defender in the entire NBA. Did you guys see what he did to Lebron on Thursday night? Also, he has become the best offensive player on the Spurs team as well. Leonard continues to grow and get better and better each and every season. For Christ sake, he's leading the league in 3pt percentage and it's not because he doesn't shoot a lot of 3s because he does.
I'll agree that he's not the best player in the world right now, however, he's well on his way to being just that. I'd say he's easily top 5 in the NBA right now. Maybe even as high as 3 behind Lebron and Curry.
I'll agree that he's not the best player in the world right now, however, he's well on his way to being just that. I'd say he's easily top 5 in the NBA right now. Maybe even as high as 3 behind Lebron and Curry.
Kawhi Leonard is just so likable. He comes from a troubling background, yet is such a good guy, never gets in trouble, is all about putting the team first, doesn't run in his mouth, isn't flashy.... it's obvious why people think so highly of the guy when his play on the court measures up to who he is as a person.
Leonard is absolutely a complete basketball player, which there isn't a lot of in the league. He can do it all. He's not great at one thing, but very, very good at everything. Does that make him the best player in the league? No, but I'd argue top 5 for sure. If he was on a shitty team that put all the load on him his numbers would be much better than they are. But since the Spurs are all about unselfish team basketball, he doesn't get to shine as much as if he would if he played on an inferior team. And the great thing about him is that it doesn't matter to him, nor should it.
Interesting little story, I have a friend who's now a boxer who went to the same high school as Kawhi Leonard. They were in the same grade and my friend Will was on the football team and actually beat out Kawhi in the school poll for "Best Athlete" in the yearbook their Senior year. Will got a scholarship to Washington State for football and quit after his Freshman year, while of course Kawhi went on to become what he's become, lol.
Leonard is absolutely a complete basketball player, which there isn't a lot of in the league. He can do it all. He's not great at one thing, but very, very good at everything. Does that make him the best player in the league? No, but I'd argue top 5 for sure. If he was on a shitty team that put all the load on him his numbers would be much better than they are. But since the Spurs are all about unselfish team basketball, he doesn't get to shine as much as if he would if he played on an inferior team. And the great thing about him is that it doesn't matter to him, nor should it.
Interesting little story, I have a friend who's now a boxer who went to the same high school as Kawhi Leonard. They were in the same grade and my friend Will was on the football team and actually beat out Kawhi in the school poll for "Best Athlete" in the yearbook their Senior year. Will got a scholarship to Washington State for football and quit after his Freshman year, while of course Kawhi went on to become what he's become, lol.