NBA Hall of Famer and TNT personality Charles Barkley says Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard is a better player than Los Angeles Lakers swingman LeBron James at the moment.
James struggled on Tuesday against the Clippers. The Lakers star finished with just 18 points in 36 minutes while shooting 7-of-19 from the field. LeBron had nine rebounds, eight assists and five turnovers.
The Lakers fell to the Clippers by a final score of 112-102. LeBron was outplayed by Leonard, who put up 30 points in 32 minutes on an efficient 10-of-19 shooting from the floor:
Barkley just said Kawhi “at this stage” is a better player than LeBron. “[Kawhi] does everything better.”
— Rohan Nadkarni (@RohanNadkarni) October 23, 2019
Leonard is a better shooter and defender than LeBron, while The King is the superior passer, athlete and driver.
For whatever reason, James looked rusty on Tuesday and didn't look that explosive. We do have to remember that LeBron is 34 and has so many miles on his body. James isn't close to being washed, but Father Time is undefeated.
Leonard, meanwhile, is 28 and appears to be really fresh. He was load managed by the Toronto Raptors last season and the strategy worked, as Toronto defeated the Golden State Warriors in the Finals in six games, with Leonard capturing his second Finals MVP.
It's just one game, so we shouldn't overreact to what we saw on Tuesday. There's still 81 games to go and James and the Lakers have plenty of time to get things in order.
However, it's pretty clear Barkley is banking on Leonard and the Clippers to get the best of LeBron and the Lakers this season.
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