INGLEWOOD, Calif. — That is how you end the year 2025.
While the NBA season hasn’t even reached its halfway point, there is much to celebrate following the game at Intuit Dome.
After a dominant 131-90 victory over the Sacramento Kings, the LA Clippers extended their win streak to five games in a row. Which has put them at 11-21, and the main reason for the streak is behind the play of their best player Kawhi Leonard.
The league is filled with great talent, the best of the best, and the way Leonard has been playing this season. This gives the Clippers a new life following their tumultuous start. So with the change of events over the past couple of weeks, can there be a discussion? Is Leonard a top five player in the NBA?
Leonard’s best regular season in his Clipper tenure.
Currently, Leonard is averaging 27.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.4 apg, and 2.1 spg in 21 games of play. Despite the injury bug that has been following Leonard’s injury history for his tenure with the Clippers. There are three areas of his game that are the highest it’s been in his tenure with the Clippers.
“When he is healthy, he is a top 7-8 player in the NBA” says Clippers head coach Ty Lue.
His scoring average sits at 27.5 ppg and his steals per game, which are the highest they have been since joining the team back in 2019-2020. However, the most impressive stat comes with just Leonard and the rim. He is shooting 97.5% at the free throw line. With the multiple injuries, Leonard has sustained he has found a way to overcome all of that and be better than ever.
Basketball is played both offensively and defensively. While looking around the league, there are great offensive players, and great defensive players. However, at the wing position playing both ways elite that list is limited amongst two players Leonard and Jaylen Brown who can do it both ways at an elite rate, which means those players deserve to be held in a high regard.
In this day in age, it is so simple to get caught in the numbers and analytics of the game, which are important. However, there is another layer that gets forgotten from watching the game with your eyes. There are a lot of benefits from looking at the game versus seeing a stat sheet and reading off numbers. Game by game, Leonard can be seen moving laterally and vertically with fluidity. This is good news for the Clippers bad news for everyone else.