Kawhi Leonard just got a bag. He reportedly extended his contract with the Clippers for three years, $152.4 million. This makes him the 10th highest paid player in the league in terms of AAV, but does that mean he is overpaid?
When you look at it from an analytical standpoint, one would say Leonard is paid correctly for his services. He is 10th in the league in Player Efficiency Rating, eight in steal percentage and 13th in Win Shares. And while these are great numbers to look at, they only hold so much weight.
As do the statistics behind Leonard’s name. As it stands today, he is 21st in PPG, 47th in blocks and third in steals. He does not even rank in the top 50 in assists per game or rebounds per game.
Again, all these analytics and stats only tell half the story. Players can produce in more ways than just the stat sheet, and that is something Leonard has done all his career.
He is known for his defensive prowess, but he has never been one to grab a lot of rebounds. Instead, he is the type of player who can poke the ball away at any time with his massive hands, and he is the type of player you try to avoid whenever you has the ball.
Leonard is also a proven winner. He has two NBA championships and two Finals MVPs, has been the Defensive Player of the Year twice, and been named to three All-NBA First Teams, along with many other accolades.
He also has a career win percentage of over 73% in the regular season, which alone proves his worth. The past four full seasons (not including this year), the Clippers are 110-51 with Leonard in the lineup. Without him? 72-75.
There is no doubt Leonard’s presence has been felt ever since signing with his hometown team. He came in on day one and helped them continue the general regular season success they had before he joined the team. He has also load managed a lot and has missed over 150 games through four-plus seasons, and Clippers fans would probably like nothing more than for their star to play as close to a full season as possible this year.
If Leonard, Paul George and James Harden can continue to mesh the way they have so far this year, there is no telling how far they can make it into the playoffs come spring. But if they have another failed playoff run, Leonard’s contract could instantly be looked at as an over-pay in a no-win situation.
Either way, Leonard has more than earned his contract based on his overall career play. He just needs to stay on the court a little more for the Clippers’ sake.
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