Kawhi Leonard is as mysterious as it gets. One day, we see him making jokes to go along with his awkward laugh. Then, on some occasions, we see the soulless expression on his face when he's absolutely dead serious. Without a doubt, he is one of the most peculiar superstars this league has ever seen.
However, at the age of 28, Leonard has dealt with his fair share of controversy. Particularly, he has raised a ton of questions regarding his health wherein he has become somewhat the face of the NBA when it comes to load management. Therefore, his career is always in question as his own longevity seems to be his biggest enemy.
Here, we take a look at five questions that will most probably go unanswered in the remainder of his career.
1. Would he have been better off with the Spurs?
The San Antonio Spurs always hoped that Kawhi Leonard would have stayed with the team for his entire career. After all, the organization has done an amazing job of drafting talent, developing them into their roles, and eventually allowing them to blossom within their system.
This was the case with the likes of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginóbili, and David Robinson. Leonard was presumably next in line to take the mantle for the years to come. However, Leonard decided to part ways with the team and took his talents last year to Toronto. Now, we'll never know how his career would have turned out if he chose to stay with the Spurs.
2. Would he have dominated the East if he stayed with the Raptors?
A good chunk of people believe that Kawhi Leonard would have been better off staying with the Toronto Raptors after winning the championship and Finals MVP last season. Who could blame them? Fresh from winning the chip with no major lineup changes, a respectable contract, a city that has come to love him, a relatively easier conference to dominate in, and even KaWine And Dine was in the works.
With all these things going for him, Leonard ultimately decided to leave for the Clippers to play with Paul George and Raptors fans can only speculate what could have been.
3. Could he have co-existed with LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Lakers?
This is interesting. Prior to the start of the season, Kawhi Leonard was the last big free agent on the board who made a decision. For a certain period of time, people were led to believe that he was going to the Lakers to team up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis as he went on to meet with the team.
Nevertheless, he shocked the basketball world with a sneaky decision to go to the Clippers in a package deal that also brought along Paul George.
Even though we all knew the Clippers were one of his options, the news of George coming alongside him stunned many. This only meant that Leonard was doing some recruiting himself, which him and his party chose to be completely quiet about. Now, we'll never know what a Lakers super team would have been like with the three superstars playing side by side.
Would Leonard's iso style of play co-existed with James' playmaking and Davis' post game? Would the three have created another unfair dynasty that could have toppled even Durant's era with the Golden State Warriors? We'll never know.
4. Could he be a perennial MVP candidate if it wasn't for load management?
We all know that Kawhi Leonard is one of the best players in the NBA. However, being the best doesn't necessarily equate to winning the MVP. This was the case with LeBron James for multiple years, especially with the Miami Heat. For a time, he was regarded as the best player in the league, but the MVP would be awarded to flashy scorers such as Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Kevin Durant.
Now, Leonard faces the same predicament as we always say “he can average 30 if he wanted to”and “he can dominate the league if he played more”or “he's better than Giannis Antetokounmpo when healthy.” Nevertheless, these are all propositions that are dependent on one factor: load management.
Moreover, it looks as if Leonard is willing to sacrifice all the regular season accolades in the hopes of gathering enough rest for the playoffs to help boost his overall longevity. Thus, we may never see a version of Leonard that goes 110% all-year long.
5. Will he become the face of the NBA?
Everyone seems to think that the up-and-coming Giannis Antetokounmpo or even young Luka Doncic is the next face of the NBA. While some have disqualified Stephen Curry at age 32 and Kevin Durant at 31, Kawhi Leonard is actually still 28. Therefore, he's still well in his prime years and he could just be entering the best four or five years in his career. Nevertheless, he doesn't come up in any conversations as the face of the NBA. Is it the less than ideal marketable personality? The controversial load management? The outdated mid-range game?
There seems to be a plethora of reasons why Leonard isn't getting the praise and popularity he deserves. However, this trend may be here to stay as the younger generation of superstars seem to be ready to take the mantle away from LeBron James as the face of the NBA. As for Leonard? We'll just have to wait and see.
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