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LA Clippers: 3 Reasons To Love the Kawhi Leonard and Paul George Pairing

By Ryan Snellings

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK- MARCH 20: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors plays defense against Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 20, 2019 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK- MARCH 20: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors plays defense against Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 20, 2019 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, CANADA – MARCH 22: Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder handles the ball against Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors on March 22, 2019 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)
TORONTO, CANADA – MARCH 22: Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder handles the ball against Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors on March 22, 2019 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images) /

2. Both Are Complete Two-Way Stars

Not only did the LA Clippers get All-Stars in Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, they got arguably the two best two-way players in the NBA.

Last season, George and Leonard averaged the following:

  • George: 28.0 PTS, 4.1 AST, 8.2 REB, 2.2 STL, 0.4 BLK
  • Leonard: 26.6 PTS, 3.3 AST, 7.3 REB, 1.8 STL, 0.4 BLK

We’ll start with the offensive end.

Offense

George finished second in points per game in the regular season, placing only behind James Harden. Leonard finished sixth in the league. Both did it while shooting a respectable percentage from the field at 43.8% and 49.6% respectively.

This trend continued in the playoffs as well. Leonard finished second in playoff scoring with 30.5 per game, while George finished third with 28.6. George’s average should be taken with a grain of salt though, considering his playoff appearance was only for five games.

Both are capable of getting their shot whenever, whether it’s driving to the hoop or by pulling up from deep. Leonard shot 37.1% from deep on five attempts per game. George shot both a higher percentage and a higher volume. He connected on 38.6% of his 9.8 attempts from deep per game in the regular season.

The biggest advantage these two will give on the offensive end won’t be seen in the nightly stat sheet. The amount of attention each commands will open up so many avenues for other Clippers players.

Both Landry Shamet and Patrick Beverley will find themselves open from deep more often than they have before. Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell can run their already impossible to guard pick-and-roll with even more ease, assuming they share the court with George and Leonard in crunch time.

The Clippers role players, who are already great in their own right, will have so many opportunities to score that they did not have last year.

Defense

The defensive side of the court isn’t as glamorous for the most part, but PG and Kawhi make it fun.

George led the league last year with his 2.2 steals per game. He has the 5th best active defensive rating and has been a member of four All-Defensive Teams during his career, two of which are first team appearances.

Leonard ain’t no slouch either. In fact, he’s much more decorated than George on the defensive end. Leonard is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year (2014-15 and 2015-16) and has been a member of the All-Defensive Teams five times, three of which are as a member of the first team. He finished seventh in the league this year with his 1.8 steals.

Each player is capable of guarding one through four on the court and depending on the match-up, can likely guard some small-ball centers.

Yes, both are frightening on the offensive end, but defense is where they really stand out. The league has to be nervous with such elite defenders pairing up. Couple that with Patrick Beverley on the roster and it will be a fight every single play for opposing wings to score versus the Clippers.

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