ESPN’s newest all-time ranking had the LA Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard all the way at 25. Now, would you say that is too high or too low?
Recently, ESPN had released their top-74 players of all time and they ranked the current superstar of the LA Clippers, Kawhi Leonard, at 25. Now, there are two main responses you can have to this list; no way, that is too low or what has he done to be this high. I fall under the latter, but there are plenty of people that disagree.
I hate to say it, but Leonard has become somewhat overrated for various reasons. This is not to say that he is not one of the best players currently, but to already put him at a mere 29-years-old with all-time legends, that is reaching too far.
ESPN’s ranking is not the only place where you will find Leonard this high. Many writers and NBA analysts will share the same opinion more or less.
My Top 20 in NBA history:
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) March 28, 2020
1. LeBron
2. Jordan
3. Kareem
4. Magic
5. Duncan
6. Kobe
7. Bird
8. Chamberlain
9. Shaq
10. Curry
11. Durant
12. Olajuwon
13. Russell
14. West
15. Karl Malone
16. CP3
17. David Robinson
18. Barkley
19. Kawhi
20. Julius Erving
Yes, Leonard is a two-time defensive player of the year (DPOY).
Yes, Leonard is a two-time champion with two finals most valuable player (FMVP).
Yes, Leonard has been a consistent All-Defensive first team throughout his career, having five so far alongside three All-NBA teams.
To me, that is not enough, especially for a top-25 player and considering he has ranked ahead of players such as Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, whilst being in the same range as David Robinson. The purpose of this article is not to slander Leonard or even to suggest he is not a great player. Instead, this is to discuss some of the misconceptions about Leonard and how some of his accomplishments are over-exaggerated.
Firstly, I want to know what made Leonard so great in the last few years. In January 2016, ESPN released their top-100 and he was nowhere to be found, which was understandable. Fast forward two years to May 2018 and SLAM ranked him 76th. Fast forward another two years and he jumped a whopping 51 spots, passing many, many all-time greats. So, what changed? In that span, he only played one full season. He won one ring with the Toronto Raptors and that validates him moving to top 25?
With all this out of the way, let’s just dive right into it.