Kawhi Leonard, not Kobe, is the closest player we’ve seen to Michael Jordan
Kawhi Leonard is the best two-way player in the NBA right now and might be the closest player we’ve seen to Michael Jordan
Few players deserve to put into the same sentence as Michael Jordan, let alone compared to him.
However, if there is one player that deserves such praise and comparison to the GOAT, it’s Kawhi Leonard. And maybe even more so than Kobe Bryant. Kobe is thought by many fans and analysts to be the closest player to MJ.
However, Kawhi is the best two-way player in the game right now.
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Kawhi is often overlooked in how his game resembles MJ’s during his prime who was arguably the best offensive and defensive player at his position. Ever.
While MJ was a scoring machine, most fans forget about how good defensively he was throughout his career. Jordan was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive team nine times, won Defensive Player of the Year once and led the league in steals on three occasions.
There have only been three players to ever win a Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Michael Jordan.
In the 2016-17 season, Kawhi was not only the Defensive Player of the Year, but he averaged over 25 points per game in the regular season and averaged 27.7 points per game in the playoffs on 56 percent shooting from 3 and 53 percent from the field.
Kobe Bryant was an excellent defender; however, he is not as good defensively as Kawhi Leonard or MJ. Not even close. Kawhi Leonard won the 2014 NBA Finals MVP for his lockdown defense against LeBron James while playing on the same team as three other Hall of Fame players.
Kawhi Leonard exhibits a level of offensive dominance that few shooting guards or small forwards have been able to match. He is judicious with his shot selection. He never seems to get worried or flustered when he is playing.
So far in the playoffs this season, Kawhi Leonard is averaging 32.3 points on 59 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range. Kobe, at 27, averaged 28 points per game on 50 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from 3 in the playoffs.
While Kobe is arguably better than Kawhi offensively, he is not as efficient as Kawhi on the floor. If Kawhi took as many shots as Kobe Bryant, he would probably average more points. Offensively, Kawhi’s efficiency is what separates him from other elite shooting guards and small forwards.
Not only can Kawhi be the best scorer on the floor in a given game, but he does not have to take a ton of shots to do so. He controls his pace offensively and is always consistent. He can shoot the 3 and drive to the basket on any defender. To most defenders, Kawhi is unstoppable. However, he does not get as much attention for his offensive game because he is less flashy than most elite scores.
Physically, Kawhi Leonard is 6-foot-7, 230 pounds with a 7-foot-3 wingspan. Michael Jordan was 6-foot-6, 216 pounds with a 6-foot-11 wingspan. Kawhi is stronger than Kobe and has the infamous huge hands that gave Jordan an edge.
Kawhi’s size and strength allow him to shoot over other shooting guards and small forwards. And he is faster than power forwards or centers that may attempt to guard him. His ability to get to the basket and get off any shot he wants is reminiscent of Jordan. Kawhi Leonard and MJ are arguably the two most physically superior shooting guards to ever play in the NBA.
Phil Jackson coached MJ and Kobe in their prime. When asked to pick between MJ and Kobe it was easy for him.
"“MJ’s got that hand. The glove. But when a guy can pick the ball up with one hand when he is drippling like Michael could do…and take the ball to the basket it is very difficult.”"
After a dominating Game 4 performance in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, which tied the series at 2-2, many analysts were taken away by Kawhi’s efficient 39-point performance. Including Stephen A. Smith:
Like Kawhi showed in Game 4, Jordan was unique in his ability to elevate his game during the playoffs and to get at any defender. Also, Jordan is, arguably the only player under 7-feet tall to ever be so offensively dominant.
Another viable comparison to MJ is James Harden. James Harden, this season, averaged 36 points during the regular season and is averaging 35 points per game in the playoffs. Though, he is only shooting 36 percent from 3-point range and 41 percent from the field in doing so.
Harden is also arguably as skilled and dominant offensively as MJ. However, he is also not the defender that MJ was in his prime.
Kawhi Leonard also is the only none center to ever win Defensive Player of the Year, twice. When equally evaluating the contribution a player makes offensively and defensively, no player compares to MJ. This was definitely an element of MJ’s greatness as a player.
Kawhi Leonard, at this point in his career, certainly does not have the resume that Kobe Bryant had when he played. And he may never. Kawhi is only 27 years old and has over a decade left to play in the NBA.
Kobe Bryant was a great player in his own right and is a different player than MJ. Kobe Bryant has been cited by many players to be just as skilled as MJ and he is definitely a better shooter than MJ was in his prime.
While Jordan is better than Kawhi, arguably the biggest difference between the two players is MJ’s swag and flash on the court. Kawhi is not one to publicize that he is giving you the business. And this is what makes him dangerous as a player and a competitor.
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This is also not to say that Kawhi Leonard is better than the litany of players chasing Jordan including LeBron James, James Harden, and Kevin Durant. Kawhi Leonard’s game is just more similar to MJ’s game.
MJ, in his competitive spirit, once remarked that he would love to play other great players in their prime and that he could beat them, except for Kobe because he steals all of his moves.
While Kobe may have stolen MJ’s moves, Kawhi Leonard is the closest two-way player to MJ the NBA has ever seen.