Did LeBron James really clamp Kawhi Leonard in Lakers' 106-103 win? Examining every play when King James guarded The Klaw

LeBron James might have played the best defensive game of the 2023-24 season. After dropping four games in a row and nine of 11, the LA Lakers were in a tough spot, and their star stepped up big time in Sunday's 106-103 win over the LA Clippers. Faced with the hottest adversary, James took the responsibility of guarding the Clippers' best player, Kawhi Leonard.

In a video uploaded online, James can be seen defending Leonard on five different possessions across three quarters. The Clippers star missed all five shots that LBJ defended.

Leonard scored just 15 points in the loss, shooting 6 of 17, including 2 of 7 from beyond the arc.

Here is the detailed list of every five plays that LeBron defended Kawhi.

Did LeBron James really clamp Kawhi Leonard in Lakers' 106-103 win? Examining every play when King James guarded The Klaw

Play #1

7:24

James Harden shot a 3-point shot from the top of the key, and Ivica Zubac deflected the miss to Terance Mann. Kawhi Leonard ran from the baseline to the top of the key, leaving LeBron James under the basket.

Mann made the pass to Leonard, who was being defended by Cam Reddish. When The Klaw made a hesitation to shoot the 3-point shot, Reddish switched to Harden and James switched to Leonard.

Leonard made two dribbles to his right, while James maintained his defensive position on The Klaw’s right side. Not finding an open man, Leonard tried to make a contested floater, which rolled off the ring and Davis secured the rebound.

Play #2

8:02

Ivica Zubac threw a pass to a cutting James Harden from the corner. Harden took the ball and threw a lob pass to a cutting Zubac. Failing to make the dunk, Zubac secured the ball and threw the ball to an open Kawhi Leonard behind the 3-point line.

LeBron James, who was standing at the free-throw line, immediately turned around towards his opponent. Leonard attempted a 3-point shot which LeBron closely contested. The missed shot deflected out of bounds.

Play #3

8:23

After not finding a room to post on Taurean Prince, Paul George made a pass to James Harden, who made a pass to a cutting Terance Mann on the free-throw line. Mann went under the basket and made a pass to Kawhi Leonard, who was standing outside the 3-point line in the left corner.

LeBron James, who was guarding Ivica Zubac, immediately turned around, leaving Zubac to Anthony Davis. James got too close to Leonard even before he could attempt a shot. After a shot fake, Leonard attempted a 3-point shot which resulted in an airball. The Klaw shot the ball with 1.2 seconds left on the shot clock, which eventually became a shot-clock violation.

Play #4

7:02

The fourth time LeBron James defended Kawhi Leonard was just under a minute after in the same quarter. Leonard was in the same spot as the last where he was defended.

James Harden, who was being defended by Cam Reddish, dribbled across the screen from Ivica Zubac. James had positioned himself in the low post, keeping his eye on Leonard in the corner.

Going towards the basket, finding Anthony Davis in front of him, he threw a no-look pass to Leonard. LeBron James made a turn and immediately contested the shot from Leonard. The shot deflected from the basket, and Davis collected the rebound.

Play #5

5:06

The next happened later in the same quarter. Kawhi Leonard was being defended by LeBron James in the low post area. Ivica Zubac, who had the ball possession in the left elbow, waited for Leonard to make the cut.

Once Leonard had possession, James avoided the screen by Zubac and positioned himself as a defender. Leonard took a few cross-dribbles between his legs and used Zubac’s screen to find an open space.

However, Anthony Davis made a quick switch to contest the 3-point shot from Leonard. The shot hit the front of the ring, and LeBron collected the drop rebound.