What can’t Kawhi Leonard do on a basketball court? We’re not exactly sure, and neither are the Denver Nuggets. In a truly dominant all-around performance, watch the reigning Finals MVP go for 18 points, eight rebounds, four assists, five steals, and six blocks in the San Antonio Spurs’ 99-91 win over the Nuggets on Sunday.
That defense, though. Damn.
Looking for an encapsulation of Kawhi’s influence? This sequence does this trick. Note that Leonard initially thwarts an isolation attempt by Arron Afflalo, but GIFs have a limit on length:
Stop iso? Easy. Switch pick-and-roll? Sure. Poke ball away? Might as well. Block rim attempt? Definitely. Block a second rim attempt as help defender? Better do it. Sprint the other way? Yup. Finish with dunk? Check.
Gregg Popovich even praised his star wing’s play:
“He did a good job at both ends of the floor,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He scored for us. Defensively, he got his hands on a lot of balls. He created a lot of situations that helped us.”
Pop undoubtedly would have been more effusive if Leonard had managed just one more assist to notch the league’s first five-by-five since 2012. As is, Kawhi has to settle for being one of two players – the other is Anthony Davis – in the last 16 seasons to reach those statistical thresholds in a single game.
Slacker.
(Video via Dawk Ins)
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