Kawhi Leonard is one of the most confusing players of the modern era to rank among the all-time greats. We have seen Kawhi get the better of the best player in today’s era before, as his skill as a two-way forward is probably unmatched. However, Leonard’s injury-proneness has held him back from establishing himself as an all-time great.
When you look at Leonard’s resume, it is hard to say that he isn’t an all-time great. However, he does miss out on many accolades that all-time greats used to cement their infallible status. Leonard has only 5 All-Star and 5 All-NBA selections in his career, a very low number for someone who won his first Finals MVP in 2014.
Over his career, whenever Leonard has been available to play, he has been one of the best defenders in the world. The former Defensive Player of the Year has developed a killer offensive arsenal as well, something that was on full display in the 2021 NBA Playoffs before he got hurt and missed the entire 2021-22 season. Fans have seen his incredible play and recognize the lack of longevity but still struggle to figure out where he ranks amongst the all-time greats.
Kawhi Leonard has a deep resume:
— 19/6
— 5x All-Star
— 5x All-NBA
— 7x All-Defense
— 2x DPOY
— 2x Champ
— 2x FMVP
Where does Fun Guy rank all-time? pic.twitter.com/36bnfhOMoS
— StatMuse (@statmuse) September 14, 2022
Greatest two way small forward of all time 🤝Enjoy y’all day
— Rashad Phillips (@RP3natural) September 14, 2022
https://twitter.com/CadesWrld1/status/1570074143789576194
top 15 all time.
Top 5-8 all time if he wins another ring
— NBA Expert. (@WhatSeperatesU) September 14, 2022
That’s durability not longevity
— DeMVP (@gloomybullsfan) September 14, 2022
https://twitter.com/evanjpeters/status/1570074387671580674
#2 behind Bron
— Mashed Potato Man 🌹🏆 (@cavsfan_421) September 14, 2022
https://twitter.com/EltonPuka/status/1570074688843382786
Wiggins was a 5 star prospect that everyone was calling the next kobe. Kawhi was a 15th ovr pick that was averaging 11 points 💀 context matters
— ︎ ︎︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎︎ ︎ (@SazaKrom) September 14, 2022
https://twitter.com/EltonPuka/status/1570075933574397952https://twitter.com/Meech_2323/status/1570080661867732993
It's crazy that he only has 5 All-Star appearances.
— It's Still Kyle Lowry Over Everything (@KLOEforLIFE) September 14, 2022
Top 5 defensive small forwards in NBA history:
1) Kawhi Leonard
2) Scottie Pippen
3) Bruce Bowen
4) Ron Artest
5) Draymond Green
— Max Powers (@MaxPowers44) September 14, 2022
I'd put Kawhi in either the low 20's (21, 22, ext) or the high 10's (18, 19, 20)
— 𝘾𝙖𝙢 🇨🇦 (@BudsNGraps) September 14, 2022
Top 25-30, could crack top 20 all time with another ring or an MVP.
Lack of the latter glaring considering the 2 FMVPs, but seems KL would rather double down on the "playoff performer" rep in his (old?) age as posterchild for load management.. then again he could go another 10y
— Mabel Live Blakely (@blakeincase) September 14, 2022
How Will Kawhi Leonard’s Career Be Remembered?
Leonard has all the talent in the world but probably won’t make a push to win an award like the regular-season MVP at this point in his career. Injuries have been a massive concern with him for years and last season proved why. He gets hurt easily and can often miss a lot of time recovering.
To help keep Kawhi healthy in the postseason, where he is one of the deadliest players we have ever seen, he misses large chunks of the regular season. That trend will continue so he will arguably retire as the first man to win multiple Finals MVPs but never win a regular season MVP.
If the Clippers live up to the expectations on their shoulders as championship favorites, Kawhi could add a possible third Finals MVP along with his third NBA championship, which is bound to firmly put him as a top-20 player even with all the injuries that have plagued his counting stats.
