Skip Bayless: 5 reasons why Kawhi Leonard has eclipsed LeBron James as the NBA’s best
LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard both starred in Game 2 victories Monday night for their respective teams, and Kawhi Leonard's 37-point performance against the Grizzlies prompted the broadcast crew to question the 25-year-old's place among the consensus greatest players in the world.
According to Skip Bayless, Leonard has already supplanted LeBron James as the best all-around player in the NBA. Bayless listed his reasons for ranking Kawhi over LeBron on Tuesday's episode of Undisputed.
Kawhi Leonard is the best two-way player in the world
“Shannon, I apologize, but I’ve got some bad news for you. I’m afraid that Kawhi Leonard - right before our very eyes - is eclipsing the King as a two-way, all-around basketball player.
[Best] all-around basketball player? Yes, he is. Obviously Kawhi is a great defensive player, he’s been back-to-back defensive player of the year.
Guess what, age and attrition have caught up with LeBron on the defensive end, and I knew it for sure in a startling moment at the end of Game 1, Cleveland vs. Indiana. When LeBron opted not to go mano-a-mano, eye-to-eye with Paul George.”
LeBron James isn't the same defensive player he once was
“Best player on one team versus the best player on the other team. No, LeBron chose to roam so he didn’t have to have the ultimate pressure in case he got torched by Paul George for the game-winning field goal.
That’s when I knew for sure LeBron has decided he’s just not ‘that guy’ on the defensive end anymore. And, again, he’s been in the league for 14 years. It’s a long time.”
Kawhi is becoming one of the best closers in the league
“I’ve told you all year that a year ago, my San Antonio Spurs were LaMarcus Aldridge’s team, because they had gone out in free agency - remember this - and LaMarcus was the premier free agent. They said ‘we got him’ when everybody else wanted him, and we’re going to rebuild around LaMarcus. And I thought it was, basically, an unwatchable disaster.
This year they went back to camp and went back to the drawing board and they said ‘you know what? No more of that. Let’s go with Kawhi this year. Let’s rebuild around Kawhi and make it his team.’
They have asked shy Kawhi to come out of his shell, to start to attack more, to get more aggressive, to take over in the fourth quarter.
He’s starting - Kawhi - to challenge Kyrie Irving as the best closer in all of basketball. This playoffs is starting to feel like it’s his coming out party. And I don’t know if you noticed, but he did make 19-of-19 free throws last night. In the first two games against Memphis he’s gone 20-of-28 from the field, averaging 35, seven [rebounds] and four assists.”
Kawhi is far more aggressive this year and better at converting free throw opportunities
“The big push this year has been to get Kawhi to the free throw line. He is attacking like I’ve never seen him attack. His free throws, just this year, went from 334 a year ago to 533 attempts this year. And, by the way, he’s an 88 percent free throw shooter, which brings me back to LeBron James, who vowed before the playoffs [that] ‘I’ll be somewhere up in the high 80s.’ Remember that?
He’s now shooting, so far in these playoffs, 60 percent from the free throw line. That’s even worse than I thought he’d be, because he’s usually high-60s, low-70s. Small sample size, but he’s starting to struggle.”
Kawhi is a better ball-handler and three-point shooter
“And why is Kawhi getting to the rim so quickly and effortlessly as he did last night against the Grizzlies? His handle is extraordinary. They call him ‘the claw’ because his hands are so big, but for a 6-foot-7 man, he can dribble it like crazy.
What does LeBron always say about himself? ‘I don’t have the greatest handle in the world. So that’s a big, big advantage to Kawhi right there.
When we talk about three-point shooting, we know that LeBron, statistically, is the worst three-point shooter in the history of the NBA playoffs.”
The stats don't lie
“LeBron scores more points. Has more assists, more rebounds, shoots better from the field. LeBron shot 54.8 percent, Kawhi somewhere around 48.
LeBron is a way better playmaker. Skip, Kawhi averages 3.5 assists per game. LeBron was 8.7. Tell me who, on that team, Kawhi makes better?
Skip Bayless: “Everybody.”
Shannon Sharpe: “How? When he only averages three assists a game?”
LeBron could do even more, but he sacrifices stats for the good of the team
“How about I give you something that’s a little more tangible. LeBron creates 14 more points per game than Kawhi. 22 to 8. Can I interest you in that?
You and I both know if LeBron wanted to, could LeBron average a triple-double? Yes, but at what cost to Kyrie and Kevin Love?
We already know. We’ve seen him lead the league in scoring. We’ve seen him average 30, we’ve seen him average 29, 28 - so we know he can score the basketball. We’ve seen him lead a playoff series in every statistical category that they keep. We’ve seen him do that, so we know what he can do."
Without LeBron, the Cavs are an awful team
“After this, there’ll be no more discussion. LeBron on and off the court per 100 possessions. When LeBron James is on the court, they outscore their opponents by 7.8. When he’s off the court, they’re outscored 8.5. That’s a 16.3-point differential.
When Kawhi Leonard is on the court, per 100 possessions, [the Spurs] outscore their opponents by 8.7. When he’s off the court, they outscore their opponents 6.5. That’s a 2.2-point differential.
They both missed eight games, Kawhi missed eight, LeBron missed eight. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 0-8 when LeBron didn’t play. The San Antonio Spurs are 7-1 when Kawhi Leonard did not play.”