In an appearance on the Draymond Green Show, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue made a statement that has sparked heavy criticism from the NBA fandom. Regarding the work ethic of his star player Kawhi Leonard, Lue explained that it’s on a similar level to LeBron James.
“Same with LeBron. He came in the league and he wasn’t a shooter. Now he shoots 40% from three,” said Lue. “He put the work in and so they remind me a lot of each other, like I said, when it comes to that work ethic, putting that work in and get to where they want to get to.’” Lue said.
It’s no secret that LeBron James devotes much time and resources to keeping his body in top condition. For over 20 years, the guy has spent millions on using the best tools and methods to extend his career and keep his body fresh over the grind of an 82-game season.
All of his physical conditioning comes on top of the countless hours in the gym that LeBron spends honing his craft and patching every weakness in his game. Over the years, LeBron has used these strategies to maintain his status as one of the best in the world and he’s still somehow an elite NBA superstar today with season averages of 23.5 points, 9.0 assists, and 7.9 rebounds per game on 49.6% shooting.
Kawhi Leonard is undoubtedly talented and his resume shines as one of the best in the league as a 2x champion, 6x All-Star, and 6x All-NBA player. Like LeBron, Kawhi has adapted and changed his game over the years to become a shooter and leader for the Clippers.
But, unlike LeBron, Kawhi is consistently unavailable for his team and he’s been unable to keep his body healthy since joining the Spurs. The NBA superstar is infamous for his poor durability and fans were shocked to see him compared with arguably the NBA’s most durable superstar ever, LeBron.
“Kawhi refuses to play 80%- 97% of season games and quits completely when it comes to the Playoffs. They are not the same whatsoever, not even close,” wrote a fan on X.
Despite being 7 years younger than LeBron, Kawhi has yet to play a game this season for the Clippers. Meanwhile, the King has been available for almost every Lakers matchup.
“Kawhi’s last game was 8 months ago while LeBron is a top 10 player at 40 years old,” posted one fan.
The comparisons kept rolling in from fans, who could not let go of how different the players are regarding availability and consistently coming through for your team.
“One is a model of longevity while one’s a model of injury,” one fan wrote. “Idk how they can be comparable to each other.”
Needless to say, Tyronn Lue isn’t fooling anyone with his comparisons between Kawhi and LeBron. While they may share some similarities in how they’ve adjusted their game, they are opposites regarding longevity and availability.
Until Kawhi Leonard makes his return and makes amends for his past, he’ll never be in the good graces of the fans. Meanwhile, for the Clippers, the season must go on. After their game against the San Antonio Spurs tonight (7:00 PM EST), they face the Thunder at 8:00 PM EST at Paycom Center on January 2nd. Finally, on Saturday, January 4th, the Clippers will host the Atlanta Hawks at 10:30 PM EST at Intuit Home.
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