When it comes to dominance on the basketball court, very few in the league today can compare to Kawhi Leonard, who is an absolute beast on both ends of the floor.
And while his game is unquestionably among the best there is in the league, his personality is truly one of a kind. The self-proclaimed ‘fun guy’ is rather notorious for his expressionless and nonchalant attitude about life.
This weekend, that attitude got exposed again in one footage that went viral online. In it, Leonard is captured judging a dunk contest with practically no emotion at all.
Kawhi might be the toughest dunk contest judge of all time 😅
(via dunkademics/IG, lipekbasketball/IG) https://t.co/0ForihDfRK
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 27, 2022
Only Kawhi can make acting seriously so darn entertaining. Notice how, even amid a very hectic and exciting scene, the Clippers star sits looking almost bored. How he managed to keep such a straight face all the time is beyond me, but maybe he’ll answer for himself one day.
As for what we can expect from him on the court this season, that much is still up in the air — but one thing is for sure: the Clippers’ success depends almost exclusively on his play, and many insiders feel optimistic about the road ahead for the team.
The Clippers are still depending a lot on Kawhi’s performance. If the 2x NBA Finals MVP can stay healthy and play at his best, then the Clippers could even be considered a title favorite.
NBA insider Marc J. Spear had some interesting points about this. His biggest question was if he can really stay healthy for the entire season or not.
“There’s a lot of Clippers buzz, a lot of Clippers talk. All this Clippers talk starts and ends with Kawhi Leonard and if he’s healthy, this team is special. But how many games is it gonna be? How many games is he gonna rest? I’m curious about Kawhi.”
Leonard, a 5x All-Star, missed all of last season after tearing his ACL in the 2021 playoffs. It has been over a year since we’ve seen him play, but the reports say that he’s healthy and ready to go for the season.
And if he’s able to stay healthy at MVP-like form, it could vault the Clippers into title contention. After a couple of underwhelming campaigns, the entire franchise is ready to finally make a successful postseason run.
Love him or hate him, Kawhi will be critical for the Clippers if they have any hope of achieving their dreams — then, maybe, Kawhi might just crack a smile.
