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Many think that Kawhi Leonard was in better form than LeBron James during the 2019-20 NBA regular season and even before the bubble action started.
In fact, the LA Clippers were the more favored team in the West to win the NBA title than the LA Lakers because Kawhi Leonard was the former's best player and leader.
5 reasons why Kawhi Leonard should never be compared with LeBron James
Both Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James are good players in their own right. But in this article, we will take a look into five reasons why Kawhi Leonard should never be compared with LeBron James.
The stock of Kawhi Leonard, coming off his second NBA title and second Finals MVP with as many teams, was definitely on the rise at the start of the 2019-20 season. LeBron James, on the other hand, had missed the 2018-19 NBA Playoffs and had a record of 28-27 in the 55 games he played for the LA Lakers that season.
However, the two players should not be compared with each other for a plethora of reasons as surmised below. Without further ado, let us have a look at them.
#5 Legacy
Even without taking his exploits in the 2019-20 season into account, LeBron James had more or less already cemented his legacy in the NBA. However, that is arguably not yet the case for Kawhi Leonard. The LA Clippers star still has work to do if he wants to be known as the best player in the NBA.
Before leading the Lakers to victory, LeBron James had already led two franchises - the big-three San Antonio Spurs (though they were ageing) and the historic 2015-16 Golden State Warriors - to the promised land by beating an Oklahoma City Thunder team who had three future MVPs in their roster:
Kawhi Leonard, however, still needs to prove that at 29, his best is still to come. Leonard had been a role player at the start of his career and was the 2014 NBA Finals MVP, but he was arguably the best player in that San Antonio roster by a slim margin only.
#4 Consistency
In terms of consistency, Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James couldn't have been further apart.
Kawhi Leonard, or for that matter any other player, should not be compared with LeBron James in terms of consistency. That is because no player in NBA history has had the consistency and longevity that King James has displayed during his illustrious 17-year NBA career.
Kawhi Leonard became an NBA All-star in his fifth season in 2015-16 before injuries began to slow him down.
In 2016-17, Kawhi Leonard, who was an established superstar at that time, could have probably led the Spurs to success against the Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant-led Warriors if not for his injury issues.
While LeBron James has played in nine NBA Finals in the last ten years, Kawhi Leonard hasn't reached consecutive NBA Finals since 2014 when he was not even the superstar that he is today.
Moreover, in the two years in which he was the reigning NBA Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard could not reach the Conference Finals in the Playoffs. LeBron James, on the other hand, has reached the Finals every year when his team has defended the crown.
#3 Leadership
When it comes to the leadership aspect, LeBron James has undoubtedly excelled, but Kawhi Leonard has exhibited some facets that have not gone down well with everyone in his team.
LeBron James might have a few leadership flaws as he may appear intimidating to young players at times. However, the 35-year-old is well in control of his emotions and has demonstrated his ability to rally his teammates around and lead a team to the NBA Finals.
Kawhi Leonard, on the other hand, does not have his teammates fully behind him. That is because the LA Clippers have some veterans and hard-playing NBA pros who probably do not like to see their acclaimed leader missing one in every four games and having nights off.
It is not a matter of Kawhi Leonard being quiet as there are different ways of leadership, but his style does not look quite right with the LA Clippers' roster.
#2 Attitude
Though Kawhi Leonard seems to be a quiet assassin, an aspect he has demonstrated at times, none of that was on display in the 2020 NBA Playoffs.
LeBron James, on the other hand, had a "you're not beating us today" attitude that worked beautifully against the multitude of inexperienced teams the LA Lakers had to play in the Western Conference Finals and the NBA Finals.
Kawhi Leonard, however, suffered a meltdown in games six and seven of the Western Conference semi-finals against Denver and eventually could not help his team when they needed him the most.
#1 Pressure
Wherever LeBron James goes to play, there are NBA Championship expectations on him regardless of the crew he has around him or the coach that leads the team from the sidelines.
Granted, LeBron James has had his moments of meltdown in the 2020 NBA Playoffs. But those instances were too few and far between, and he bounced back admirably to lead his team to success on each occasion. However, that was not the case with Kawhi Leonard.
Of course, Leonard received a lot of criticism for the LA Clippers' meltdown against the Denver Nuggets. But that doesn't compare to what LeBron James has had to endure during many of his NBA Finals losses or the second-round exits he has had during his career.
For some more perspective in this regard, LeBron James was heavily criticized by many for getting swept in the 2018 NBA Finals against Golden State despite the player averaging 34 points, nine rebounds and ten assists per game.
On the other hand, as the reigning Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard suffered a first-round exit in 2015 in a seven-game series against the "Lob City" Clippers where he scored only 13 points (on 5 of 13 shooting) in the deciding game.
Once again this year, as the reigning NBA champion and Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard could not help his team get past the second round of the Playoffs. And even though he received lots of criticism for that, Kawhi Leonard just does not have the LeBron James-like pressure on his shoulders.
NOTE: This article is not about belittling Kawhi Leonard's year or career; it is only an attempt to drive home the point that it is unfair for Leonard to be compared with LeBron James.
Also read: NBA Trade Rumors: Kawhi Leonard the only untouchable player in LA Clippers, franchise expected to target a playmaker.
