When it comes to playing both sides of the game, very few in the basketball world can do it better than Kawhi Leonard. As a 2x champion, 5x All-Star, and 2x Defensive Player of the Year, he’s one of the best players in the world at balancing both offense and defense in the NBA.
But when Kawhi came up in an episode of First Take, ESPN star Stephen A. Smith didn’t exactly shower him with praise. Instead, he called out the superstar swingman for his track record of missing games and challenged him to play as much as he can this season.
(via First Take):
“That damn Kawhi Leonard has gotten off the hook long enough. Enough of this…” said Stephen A. “When we talk about a cat that is an absolute professional at missing games, Kawhi [Leonard], nobody beats him. He’s the 5x champion! 2017, played 9 games. The year they won in Toronto, they played 60 games, had load management, was healthy, they avoided back-to-backs, missed about 22 games. Next year with the Clippers, first year, he missed 25 games okay. Next year after that he missed 30 games. And then last year, he missed the whole season.”
“This brother misses more games than a little bit and we never say anything because Kawhi Leonard don’t talk and because he doesn’t talk and he doesn’t make headlines with anything but his game, we’ve given him a pass. Also because he’s a 2x champion and we know he”s all-world when on the court and healthy. But damn, you gotta play bro. You gotta play. I assure you he ain’t missing checks. Can we see you play please?”
"When we talk about a cat that is an absolute professional at missing games, Kawhi [Leonard], nobody beats him. … Can we see you play please?"
👀 @stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/baP2O3i3mW
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 4, 2022
Kawhi Leonard Could Lead The Clippers To A Title If He Stays On The Court This Season
No matter your feelings about Kawhi, Stephen A., or the Clippers, it’s hard to deny the truth in Mr. Smith’s soliloquy. As good as Kawhi is on the court, the dude has trouble suiting up for games.
For various different times, at various lengths, and for various reasons, Leonard has missed chunks of his prime and it has cost his teams many chances to win.
This season, though, Leonard is back and seemingly ready to work overtime to produce his best campaign yet. But we will see if he is really capable of staying consistent for a full 82-game stretch.
