Chris Broussard goes off on Kawhi Leonard and says he cannot do it on both ends of the floor for 40 minutes a night in the Playoffs.
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The Los Angeles Clippers seem to relish being down 0-2 in a series as their 7-game bout against the Utah Jazz has evened out at 2 a piece after both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard dropped 31 points each, trumping Donovan Mitchell’s 37 points.
The 118-104 win brings the Clips right back into this series and turns the remining games in a best-of-three to see who faces off against the Suns in the WCF.
There are a bevy of factors in play for why the Clippers are able to turn any series around. The main reason for many, is the fact that Paul George plays like his usual self and does not shoot 4-18 from the field. However, it’s quite obvious that Kawhi Leonard is the man who runs the show for the Clippers.
In 10 games this postseason, Leonard has averaged 30.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and boast an assist to turnover ratio of 2. he is also shooting an incredible 58.2% from the field.
Chris Broussard believes Kawhi Leonard cannot play at an elite level 40 minutes a night
Chris Broussard takes to FS1 to put forth the notion that Kawhi Leonard will not be able to carry the Los Angeles Clippers all by himself. Him exerting himself on both ends of the floor for 40 minutes a night will not result in victories for the Clips, according to Broussard.
“Kawhi appears to be an old 29. He just can’t give it to you on both ends of the court for 40 minutes a night, every playoff game.” 😯
– Chris Broussard
(Via @FTFonFS1 ) pic.twitter.com/MZmq0xWUr8— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) June 14, 2021
Though he does have a point, in that no player can singlehandedly carry a team throughout the Playoffs (an exception in recent memory would be 2018 LeBron James or even 2019 Kawhi Leonard), the ‘Klaw’ has been playing eerily close to 40 minutes a night in the Playoffs in the past three postseasons.
These 2020-21 Playoffs have seen Leonard average 39.7 minutes a game and absolutely dominate in the 4th quarters of games. Until last night, Kawhi was a perfect 16-16 from the field in 4th quarters, disproving Broussard’s theory on the 2x Finals MVP not being able to play at an All-NBA level for 40+ minutes.