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Having won two NBA Finals MVPs in 8 previous seasons in the league, Kawhi Leonard knows better than most people how tough winning a championship is. In his first appearance at the biggest stage of them all, Leonard was a rebound and a crazy game-tying 3-pointer away from the NBA trophy. Execution will be key for the LA Clippers in the playoffs and that is what Kawhi emphasized at the presser today.
Kawhi Leonard's final preseason presser for LA Clippers
The LA Clippers are doing fine for now. They are sitting pretty at the 2nd spot in the Conference standings despite only having premier defenders Beverley, George and Kawhi Leonard together for 26 games.
But they need to step it up a notch in the playoffs, and execute at a level that they haven't done as a unit thus far. Kawhi Leonard acknowledged as much in the last LA Clippers' press conference before the season restart:
"I knew that we had a pretty deep squad, I knew how talented we are. It's about executing now."
"Basically it's a new season pretty much .After you win or lose in the Playoffs, you probably have about three months or so to get back to training camp and then go through the same process again."
ALSO READ: LA Clippers vs LA Lakers Prediction & Match Preview - 30th July 2020
The restart so far hasn't augured well for Kawhi Leonard on a personal level. While the LA Clippers as a team have clicked with him on the floor, Kawhi has been woeful on offense and has had better times on the defensive end.
While its too much to read into considering he also shot the ball very badly in preseason before balling out on opening night against the LA Lakers, an elite shooter like him is expected to do better than going 6-of-27 from 3-point range.
Kawhi Leonard is having a career year so far with the Clippers. The 29-year-old exhibited some of the best isolation play across the NBA this season. Despite diminished athleticism from his peak San Antonio days, he has career highs in scoring and assists.
The LA Clippers have among the best odds to go all the way in October - many oddsmakers gave them odds shorter than the Lakers. This is largely because the LA Clippers have two dominant swingmen in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and a swingman is more important than a center in the modern NBA.
A 2-time Defensive Player of the Year, Kawhi Leonard came into the league as a 3-and-D prospect, with unpolished offensive ability. He's since groomed his offensive game, increasing his scoring output every season for 6 straight years under Greg Popovich.
Guess the Lakers players!
