Kawhi Leonard vs. Jimmy Butler Full Comparison 2023-24

• Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler have combined to make 11 All-Star teams, 10 All-NBA teams and 12 All-Defensive Teams

• Leonard is 2-1 in the NBA Finals, while Butler is 0-2

• Both players will make the Hall of Fame one day

LeBron James and Kevin Durant are universally recognized as the best small forwards of this decade. However, we can’t forget about Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler. After all, Leonard and Butler have combined to make 11 All-Star teams, 10 All-NBA teams and 12 All-Defensive teams. 

Leonard has played for the San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, and Los Angeles Clippers. He has career averages of 19.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.7 assists, and 0.6 steals in 628 games. 

Meanwhile, Butler has played for the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, and Miami Heat. He has career averages of 18.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.5 blocks. 

With the 2023-24 season set to start soon, we decided to take a look at who is the better player right now between Leonard and Butler. Let’s dive in. 

Scoring – Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard is a better scorer than Jimmy Butler. Not only does “The Claw” have a higher career points per game average than “Jimmy Buckets,” but he also has averaged more points in a season than Butler has. 

During the 2019-20 season, Leonard averaged a career-high 27.0 points for the Los Angeles Clippers in 57 games. The most points Butler has averaged in a season is 23.9. That came during the 2016-17 season when Butler was on the Chicago Bulls. 

Last season, Leonard put up 23.8 points per game, while Butler averaged 22.9 points. Butler is a talented scorer. After all, he once scored 53 points in a game with the Bulls versus the Philadelphia 76ers in 2015-16. However, the numbers show that Leonard is a more gifted scorer. 

Shooting – Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard is a career 49.5% shooter from the field, 38.7% shooter from 3-point range, and 85.9% shooter from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Butler is a career 46.7% shooter from the floor, 32.3% shooter from beyond the arc, and 84.2% shooter from the foul line. 

Leonard has established himself as one of the best mid-range shooters in NBA history. He’s also no slouch from 3-point range either. Butler can shoot jumpers, but the Texas product does most of his damage on drives to the basket. 

Leonard shot a career-high 44.3% from 3 during the 2015-16 season with the San Antonio Spurs. Butler’s best 3-point percentage season came in 2012-13 when he shot 38.1% from long-range with the Chicago Bulls. 

Leonard shot 51.2% from the field, 41.6% from 3, and 87.1% from the free-throw line last season. As for Butler, he shot 53.9% overall, 35.0% from 3 and 85.0% from the foul line. 

Athleticism – Jimmy Butler

Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler are both very athletic. However, since Leonard has undergone multiple surgeries on his knees, we’re going to give the athleticism edge to Butler even though the Miami Heat star is 34 and Leonard is 32. 

Butler is listed at 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds. He can sky for dunks with ease and keep up with the fastest players in the NBA on fast breaks. Leonard is a powerful dunker too, but he’s not as quick as Butler. Leonard has undergone ACL and meniscus surgeries. 

Butler is one of the best slashers in the NBA. He can get to the rim at will and finish in heavy traffic. Leonard likes to operate in the mid-post since he’s an elite shooter. 

Butler doesn’t have Ja Morant-type athleticism, but he’s a gifted athlete who can run and jump at an elite level. 

Defense – Jimmy Butler

Kawhi Leonard has had a better defensive career than Jimmy Butler since he has made more All-Defensive teams and has won two Defensive Player of the Year Awards. However, Butler is the better defender right now. 

For the Miami Heat last season, Butler averaged 1.8 steals and 0.3 blocks. Meanwhile, Leonard averaged 1.4 steals and 0.5 blocks for the Los Angeles Clippers. Butler recorded 117 steals and 21 blocks in 64 games and Leonard finished with 72 steals and 28 blocks in 52 games. 

Even though Leonard was a better shot-blocker than Butler last season, Butler is available for his team more and that’s big when it comes to defense. You can’t help your team get stops if you’re not playing and Leonard has missed a plethora of games over the past few seasons. 

Butler and Leonard are both elite defenders. We’re going to give the edge to Butler, though, since he plays more and gets more steals. 

Handles – Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard’s massive hands allow him to dribble the ball with ease. He’s not Stephen Curry or Kyrie Irving, but Leonard can get to his spots on offense frequently since he’s able to control the ball while moving around with defenders on him. 

Jimmy Butler doesn’t have poor handles, but Leonard’s handles are better. The Los Angeles Clippers star has more crossovers in his career than the Miami Heat forward does. 

Leonard uses his dribbling skills to size up defenders and create space for his patented mid-range jumpers. Butler usually just uses his speed to get past defenders, which works for him. Leonard has a more expansive dribbling package than Butler and the California native uses it to put his defenders in troubling situations. 

Clutch – Jimmy Butler

There’s a reason they call Jimmy Butler “Jimmy G. Buckets.” The “G” stands for “Gets.” Butler isn’t a better scorer than Kawhi Leonard, but he’s the superior clutch performer. 

Last season for the Miami Heat, Butler averaged 5.2 points in the fourth quarter. He scored 287 points in the fourth quarter and hit so many shots clutch shots to propel the Heat to wins in both the regular season and playoffs. 

Leonard averaged 5.2 points in the fourth quarter last season as well. He scored 253 points in the fourth quarter. Again, it’s about availability with Leonard. Butler is a more durable player than Leonard. He plays more minutes and games, which gives him more chances to be clutch for his team. 

When the Heat and Clippers need a basket, Butler and Leonard will get the ball, respectively. We are taking Butler as the more clutch player since he has been to two NBA Finals in the last four seasons and has made several clutch plays on offense and defense for Miami.

Leadership – Jimmy Butler

We believe Jimmy Butler is a better leader than Kawhi Leonard simply because he talks more on the court and in huddles. Leonard is probably the quietest superstar in NBA history. He obviously talks to his teammates and coaches, but Butler is way more hands-on. 

Since joining the Miami Heat in the summer of 2019, Butler has guided the franchise to three Eastern Conference Finals and two NBA Finals. While he challenges his teammates in practices, Butler never throws anyone under the bus during press conferences. That’s the sign of a great leader. 

During an interview with Rohan Nadkarni of Sports Illustrated, Butler talked about losing the 2023 NBA Finals to the Denver Nuggets. The swingman said he didn’t do his job and that he will “whoop all y’all ass again” in 2023-24. 

Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers lost to the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2023 playoffs in five games. Leonard only played in Games 1 and 2 due to a knee injury. Leonard is a good leader. You don’t win two Finals MVPs without being a strong player and leader. 

However, Butler is a better leader than Leonard since he’s more animated and active with his teammates. 

Basketball IQ – Jimmy Butler

Both Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard are smart players. More often than not, Butler and Leonard will make the right pass on offense or the correct read on defense. 

There’s no stat to measure basketball IQ. We can look at turnovers, though, and analyze if a player is reckless with the ball or not. Butler had 101 turnovers last season in 64 games, while Leonard had 88 in 52 games. Butler averaged 1.6 turnovers and Leonard averaged 1.7. 

We’re going to give the basketball IQ edge to Butler, who averaged 5.3 assists for the Miami Heat last season. Leonard averaged only 3.9 assists for the Los Angeles Clippers, who haven’t reached the NBA Finals in the Leonard era, which began in 2019-20. 

Getting to the NBA Finals requires intelligence. The Heat have reached two NBA Finals in the Butler era, which also began in 2019-20. Miami follows its leader every night and Butler is unquestionably the leader of the Heat. 

Impact – Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler averaged 22.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.3 blocks for the Miami Heat last season. He recorded 11 double-doubles and the Heat were 35-29 when Butler was in the lineup. Butler is 144-87 with the Heat in his career. That’s good for a winning percentage of .623.

Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard averaged 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.5 blocks for the Los Angeles Clippers last season. He had four double-doubles and the Clippers were 33-19 when Leonard was in the lineup. Leonard is 110-51 with the Clippers in his career. That’s good for a winning percentage of .683. 

The reason we are giving the impact edge to Butler is because of availability and versatility. Butler is more versatile than Leonard and plays more minutes and games. Butler and Leonard both entered the NBA in 2011-12. Butler has played in 754 games, while Leonard has appeared in only 628 games. You can’t impact the game by sitting on the bench. 

Butler (12.3) had more win shares than Leonard (7.1) last season as well. He also has more career win shares since he’s played in more games. 

Efficiency – Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler had a higher player efficiency rating than Kawhi Leonard last season. Butler’s PER was 27.6, while Leonard was at 23.9. 

Butler was sixth in the NBA last season in PER. Meanwhile, Leonard was 11th. Both forwards are efficient players, but since Butler does more of his scoring damage at the rim, he rates as the more efficient player. 

Butler shot an impressive 53.9% from the field last season. He was 23rd in the NBA in field goal percentage. Good things happen when Butler puts his head down and drives to the basket. The Marquette product usually scores, draws a foul, or passes it to an open teammate. 

Leonard was 32nd in the NBA in field goal percentage last season. The two-time Finals MVP shot 51.2% from the field. Since he shot more jumpers than Butler, Leonard was less efficient and that trend will likely continue in 2023-24. 

1-On-1 Game – Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard is a better one-on-one player than Jimmy Butler since he has more tools in his toolbox. Leonard is the superior step-back shooter, turnaround jump shooter, and jab-step shooter.

Leonard averaged 23.8 points last season in 52 games. He finished with 1,239 points. Meanwhile, Butler averaged 22.9 points in 64 games and racked up 1,466 points. Leonard probably would have scored more points than Butler had he played in more games. 

Leonard has incredible footwork in the post. He gets to his spots with comfort and shots over guys like they are not even there. Butler is a talented scorer. There’s no denying that. However, Leonard is the more feared one-on-one player since he has more moves in the post and can shoot at a higher clip than Butler. 

Final Result

Jimmy Butler vs. Kawhi Leonard 7-4

Kawhi Leonard has had a better career than Jimmy Butler. He’s made five All-Star teams, five All-NBA teams, and seven All-Defensive teams and has won two Defensive Player of the Year Awards, two championships, and two Finals MVP Awards. However, right now, Butler is the better player. 

Winning is all that matters in the NBA and Butler has won more games since joining the Miami Heat in 2019-20 than Leonard has won since he joined the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019-20. Butler only averaged a few fewer points than Leonard did last season and he was more efficient in his scoring. Butler is also the better defender, leader, and clutch player, and since he plays more games than Leonard, his impact is greater as well. 

Butler has made six All-Star teams, five All-NBA teams, and five All-Defensive teams. He won the 2014-15 Most Improved Player of the Year Award and the 2023 Eastern Conference MVP Trophy. Again, since Leonard is a two-time champion and two-time Finals MVP, he has had a better career, which is why he was named to the NBA’s Top 75 Anniversary Team and Butler wasn’t.

However, we believe Butler is the better player now since he’s more likely to be available for his teammates and has guided the Heat to two NBA Finals in four years. Jimmy Buckets just knows how to win games at the end of the day and winning is what truly defines a player. Leonard, mostly due to injuries, hasn’t been able to win with the Clippers.