The Los Angeles Clippers are exceeding expectations this season, and it has a lot to do with Kawhi Leonard.
Leonard moved to LA after winning the championship with the Toronto Raptors, and some suggested he was the best player in the world. He and Paul George were supposed to rival LeBron James’ Lakers and win the Clippers’ first ring.
Injuries troubled the pair before George eventually left for Philadelphia last summer, with many then assuming the championship window had closed.
Well, Leonard has returned to fitness this season and, alongside James Harden, has a legitimate chance to make a postseason run.
NBA expert Chris Broussard has now compared him to 2023 champion and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
The Nuggets-Clippers series might be the most evenly matched in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
The Nuggets won Game 1 after overtime as Jokic scored 29 points, and the Clippers won Game 2 by three as Leonard scored 36.
Ahead of Game 3 in LA, Broussard made a bold statement about Leonard’s impact on the game versus Jokic’s.
“This was a reminder of how great Kawhi Leonard is,” he said. “We only get to see it every blue moon, it seems, but when he’s at his best, like he was [vs Nuggets], and he seems healthy, his team has a chance of winning any game.
“He impacts the game just as much as anybody in the league. I would argue that he can impact the game as much as Jokic, even though Jokic will fill up the box score more. [For] Kawhi, [it’s] with his scoring and his defense.”
Leonard’s offensive display was the highlight of Game 2 but the Clippers’ defense had just as much to do with the victory.
Head coach Tyronn Lue has plenty of solid defenders to call upon, but Broussard thinks Leonard’s play inspires them to reach another level.
“The Nuggets shot 2-12 when Kawhi was the primary defender. We saw he got the late steal, with 37 seconds left.
“But also, his defense helps spark… they’re a great defensive team anyway with [Ivica Zubac] and Kris Dunn, but they had 13 steals. Kawhi had a lot to do with that with his aggressiveness.
“He set the tone offensively and defensively, and their 13 steals helped create 20 Denver turnovers for 21 points. That really was the game because you look at the box score and there are a lot of numbers that make you say, ‘How did the Clippers win this game?”
