Kawhi Leonard is a two-time NBA champion, a five-time All-Star, and a five-time All-NBA selection. He has a reputation for being a superstar, one which is very much justified. Simultaneously, he has missed a lot of games through injury. As such, Stephen A. Smith believes Leonard does not do enough for either his team or the sport. He added Leonard cannot help either entity by not setting foot on the basketball court regularly.
Stephen A. Smith paid tribute to Kawhi Leonard and gave credit where it is due. He referred to the time the forward kept LeBron James relatively quiet. However, he admitted Leonard could not have such an impact on every single game. One of the primary issues there is that Kawhi Leonard does not play every single game, as much as he wants to. Let’s explore if Steven A. Smith is right in his analysis of Kawhi’s undoing.
Kawhi Leonard, the worst superstar to have
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Kawhi Leonard was one of those upset by the new NBA player participation policy. According to it, if a player is healthy, he must play. Before getting to the matter at hand, Stephen A. Smith played a clip of Leonard addressing a question regarding that policy. He said on his show, “The NBA announced last month that there would be a new player participation policy targeting those who have been an All-Star or All-NBA selection to prevent load management. Some players like LA Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard feel like it won’t make a bit of difference at all …”
Leonard spoke about the time he played for the Toronto Raptors. Then, he had no choice but to try load management, having spent a year injured. Though not a fan of the new league policy, he wants to play every game if possible. Stephen A. Smith opined that any team with Kawhi Leonard in its ranks is a championship contender. Simultaneously, he termed Leonard the worst superstar a team could have.
Smith added Leonard, in his opinion, did nothing to market the sport or his team. He noted, “… Kawhi Leonard is the absolute worst superstar that a team can have. Period … He is a superstar, a champion, a two-time champion, a two-time NBA Finals MVP … Kawhi Leonard got MVP honors because he held LeBron James to d**n near 35 percent shooting from the field in the process … Kawhi Leonard is a superstar and a stud and any team that has him – healthy – is a championship contender.”
Missing 48 percent of the season’s games
Smith also pointed out that Leonard missed almost half of his current team’s games. He posited, “…What I’m saying about Kawhi Leonard is that he’s also missed 48 percent of his games since he’s arrived in Los Angeles. Ladies and gentlemen, he’s missed 147 out of 308 games. That’s 48 percent of his regular season games …”
Smith took umbrage at the fact that Leonard is one of the highest-paid athletes in the world. He hypothesized that from a business perspective, Leonard might not be worth the big sums shelled out. He added the forward is an elite defender and a phenomenon given the evolution of his playing style. Smith said, “…The way his game has evolved over the years, he is phenomenal … But he does nothing to market the sport …”
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Stephen A. Smith noted Leonard missed a lot of games, whatever the cause. Smith suggested the forward consider retirement. He added, “… Kawhi Leonard has missed some games, man. There’s no way around it. And I’m sorry. You can’t always excuse it, you just can’t. If he’s hurt, he’s hurt. D**n it, retire, if you hurt that much!” Kawhi Leonard spent almost as much time on the treatment table as he did on the basketball court with the LA Clippers. While a superstar, he is not much use to his team when he cannot play, as Stephen A. Smith pointed out.
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