The LA Clippers would be a much improved team if they sign Kawhi Leonard, but which players individually would gain the most from his presence?
It’s hard to imagine that Kawhi Leonard’s presence on the LA Clippers would be a negative one. So far in these playoffs, the two-way star has proved that he’s one of the very best the NBA has to offer. More importantly, his personality and play style would likely be a perfect fit with the culture the Clippers have made for themselves over the last few seasons.
That being said, there’s arguably a lot more that Leonard could do to help out the Clippers on a more individual level.
Players are at their best when playing with other great players, and Leonard likely isn’t an exception to that rule. And in terms of development, there are likely limitless tips that he could pass on to some of the Clippers’ younger players about playing strong defense and making opponents pay for allowing open looks.
Guys like Sindarius Thornwell and Tyrone Wallace could surely take a lot away from Leonard in regards to both of those things. Already physical defenders, Leonard could help them play smarter and become better shooters — especially from range.
Other players, like Jerome Robinson, Danilo Gallinari and Montrezl Harrell would all benefit from learning some of his tricks as well, whether it be help on offense or defense.
However, there are a few players in particular that we feel would gain the most from playing alongside someone of Leonard’s caliber, which is what we’ll be going over on the following slides.