Kawhi Leonard is one of the top players in the NBA when he’s healthy. Throughout his career, he has stepped up for his teams when it mattered the most. As a result, when Kawhi signed with the Los Angeles Clippers and formed a dynamic duo with Paul George, he was expected to lead the franchises to an NBA Championship.
Unfortunately, due to injuries, the Klaw is yet to fulfill this dream of the Clippers’ fanbase. But many hope this will change in the 2022-23 NBA season. After missing the entire last season, Leonard is finally back, and he looks in the best shape of his NBA career.
Kawhi’s return is one of the biggest reasons most fans and analysts believe that the Clippers are the favorites to win it all this season. Winning the third ring of his career will play a huge role in what legacy Kawhi will leave behind as well.
Can Kawhi Leonard Crack The List Of Top 20 NBA Players Of All Time?
While most people agree that Kawhi Leonard is one of the best players of this generation, not many take his name in the all-time debates. One crucial reason behind it is the fact that Leonard misses a lot of games.
Keeping that in mind, an NBA fan on Reddit recently asked if Kawhi winning the third ring of his career would be enough for him to book a place in the list of top 20 NBA players of all time. Well, here’s what the NBA community thinks about it:
RubbleWestbrick: He has like 3 superstar level seasons where he didn’t suffer a season ending injury.
NitroXYZ: No. Most of your 15-20 range have like 12-15 years of remarkable longevity. Kawhi doesn’t have that regardless of how good he is at his peak.
ryanm37: It’d be one of the stranger resumes of all time, that’s for sure. 3 rings and (presumably) 3 FMVPs yet no regular season MVP? Just bizarre. And this makes him hard to rank. Even now – he’s got this amazing yet singular resume of 2FMVPs, a DPOY – which puts him in a class with Jordan and Hakeem – but unlike them, he has no regular season MVP.
With another ring, he strengthens his current reputation which is one of the greatest playoff performers ever. Don’t think that changes his overall ranking MUCH (right now in the top 30 range?) given overall longevity.
Nghbrhd_slacker87: No he just missed too many games tbh to build a legit resume. No NBA MVP kinda hurts his case if he wanted to make one. Probably would still be 30 ish.
Ton_Lonk: Kawhi would need to stay healthy and play at an MVP level for the next 3-4 years, which I have a hard time imagining.
polkcat: There are at least 3 Spurs that would be above him in the all-time rankings, and that is just one team.
Yorubahoops: 3 rings makes him top 25. An MVP makes him top 20. I think he cant go any further unless he got like 4 rings and longevity(lol).
2nd_Tinder_Date: if he wins the Clippers a ring, I’m putting the man top-15 All-Time.
SportyNewsBear: Kawhi’s all-time ranking is really hurt by his lack of statistical dominance. Another championship and a FMVP could bring him into the Top 20 from a wins and accolades perspective, but he’s so far behind other all-timers on stats that he’ll probably never be able to reach the Top 20.
KaiserKaiba: Really depends how it happens tbh.
As expected, most fans do not believe Kawhi will become a top 20 player in NBA history even if he wins another ring in his career. It all comes down to his fitness issues. He has never been someone who can play a lot of games in a season and still stay healthy come playoff time. As a result, as good as Kawhi may be, he will most likely stay off the list of the top 20 best NBA players in the history of the league.
