Kawhi Leonard has worked himself into becoming one of the league's most deadly shooters from all over the floor, whether off the dribble or on the catch. Though he no longer consistently defends at the level that made him a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, he's still occasionally dominant enough on that end to swing entire playoff series by taking on the assignment of guarding basketball's presumptive MVP. Leonard now has the handles of a point guard, equal parts controlled as it is deceptive. He has a wingspan normally reserved for centers, and his mammoth hands are the stuff of cross-cultural legend.
Obviously, there isn't one single facet of the Toronto Raptors superstar's game that has him on the cusp of winning a second Finals MVP while dethroning the two-time defending champions. But if there's been one defining aspect of Leonard's historic playoff run, it's undoubtedly his overall physical strength, a development that's seemed to surprise many league followers, but certainly not those familiar with his exploits in the weight room.
NBC Sports' Tom Haberstroh recalled in an article published after Leonard's Game 4 masterpiece that he once casually broke an advanced weight-training machine during a routine workout years ago with the San Antonio Spurs.
Stories about Leonard's Herculean strength have long been whispered around the league. There's a machine in the San Antonio Spurs‘ weight room that staffers referred to as “The Yo-Yo”… For most pro athletes, this is a grueling exercise, like a super squat. But after several repetitions on “The Yo-Yo,” it was clear that this wasn't a challenge for Leonard…
The trainers added a steel plate that would create a downward force of two times Leonard's body weight, which at the time was around 250 pounds. Leonard kept going, with relative ease. Then suddenly, Leonard stopped. The room turned silent as Leonard looked down at his feet. He cracked the metal platform.
One San Antonio staffer simply told NBC Sports of Leonard, “Too strong for it.” Just like he's been for the rest of the league throughout the playoffs, too.
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