Shannon Sharpe had his say on Kawhi Leonard’s reaction to Russell Westbrook’s buzzer-beating attempt during the LA Clippers’ recent loss to the Utah Jazz. Leonard, who is regarded as one of the most clutch players in the league, initially missed a 3-pointer which was rebounded by Westbrook. However, Russ ended up airballing the jumper, leading to groans from the Clippers all over the world including an empathetic response from Leonard.
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The Klaw was guilty of falling to his knees even before the ball began dropping following Westbrook’s attempt. His reaction was seen as a bit of a lack of faith in his 9-time All-Star teammate and was posted by LakeShowYo on Twitter. The clip ended up attracting a response from Shannon Sharpe as well, who seemed to have leaped up to Westbrook’s defense. Sharpe claimed that Kawhi seemed to have forgotten whose shot Westbrook had rebounded before shooting his shot.
Shannon Sharpe is not happy with Kawhi Leonard’s response to Russell Westbrook’s attempt
The LA Clippers were trailing the Jazz by 2 points in the final seconds. With 5 seconds left on the shot clock, Leonard attempted an ambitious 3-pointer that made its way to Russell Westbrook.
However, even before Westbrook released his attempt, Leonard could be seen beginning his descent to the floor. He had already dropped to his knees by the time the airball was confirmed.
This has led to suggestions that the Clippers’ main man has little faith in Westbrook’s ability to come up clutch. While fans seemed to agree, Sharpe appears to not be happy with Leonard’s reaction. He claimed that Kawhi seemed to have forgotten that it was his shot that ended up being rebounded to Westbrook, who had less than two seconds to release the mid-ranger:
“Kawhi 4got who shot Russ rebounded.”
Of course, Kawhi’s reaction is not necessarily a response to the Westbrook miss. He might have realized that the shot was going to miss, or might simply have been disappointed with his own attempt seconds earlier.
At the same time, while Russ is bound to be disappointed, that player had little right to win the rebound and released his shot in good time. While it, unfortunately, ended up as an airball, the fact that he decided to take responsibility himself instead of looking to pass should partly encourage fans.
Kawhi Leonard is one of the most clutch players in the league
Of course, it is difficult to say whether Kawhi’s reaction was down to his own miss, or that of Westbrook’s. However, considering his past history, Leonard is bound to be gutted after missing his attempt as well.
The 32-year-old is widely regarded as one of the most clutch players in the league. Back during the 2019 Playoff series between the Raptors and the 76ers, it was Leonard who had single-handedly won the series due to an iconic buzzer-beater in game 7. The Ringer had claimed that the shot ended up changing Leonard’s career, and the Raptors, forever.
The Klaw had received the ball outside the 3-point zone with less than 4 seconds on the clock and ran to the right corner before releasing a hurried attempt. The shot went in, prompting a 2-point victory for the Raptors which would see them spur on to win the NBA title. Considering the semantics of the shot, there is a good chance that Leonard might simply have been angry at himself, during the recent Jazz incident.
Of course, the converse can also be just as easily true. While Leonard finished with 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists, Paul George top-scored for the Clippers with 35 points. The Klaw might as well be disappointed with Westbrook’s poor showing the entire night (4 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists), which may as well have culminated with him giving up hope the moment Russ received the ball during the close moments.
