Its time to stop pretending Kawhi is a great defender

[Hamtaro CP3KDKG]

His last great defensive season was 2016.

Ever since he became the #1 scoring option his defense has been inconsistent. And even before that his DPOYs were bad decisions.

He had the best defensive coach in the league the 2 years he won the title and the 19 Raptors are one of the most stacked defenses of all time.

Lowry, FVV, Danny = All Defense level guards
Siakam, Marc, Ibaka = All Defense level bigs including DPOY who was their anchor in playoffs

Remember the Raptors defense was even BETTER the next season despite Kawhi being replaced with OG and Danny being gone.

Now we've seen him without the best defensive coach in the league (14 Pop and Nurse)

He should do the right thing and forfeit the 2 DPOYs to Duncan and Draymond.

[scuzzy]

He's been an average defender ever since pop turned him into #1 option

[Phoenix]

He doesn't have the motor to be both an elite scorer AND lockdown defender. His peak as a defender came before he was dropping 27 a game.

[dankok8]

He was still really great defensively when we won the title us in 2019 but since going to the Clippers his defense has regressed to the point where I'd say he's maybe above average. His offense keeps staying constant maybe even improving given his better passing but defense has been falling off.

[Axe]

He was still really great defensively when we won the title us in 2019 but since going to the Clippers his defense has regressed to the point where I'd say he's maybe above average.
Could it be because he's not playing for nick nurse anymore? I highly think so.

[dankok8]

Could it be because he's not playing for nick nurse anymore? I highly think so.

Nah. Kawhi was individually better in 2019 like he'd bother a lot of shots and legit lock people up when matched up directly.

[ClipperRevival]

Yeah, just super disappointed in Kawhi. His stint as a Clip has been so disappointing. Just not the same guy from 2019.

[julizaver]

His last great defensive season was 2016.

Ever since he became the #1 scoring option his defense has been inconsistent. And even before that his DPOYs were bad decisions.

He had the best defensive coach in the league the 2 years he won the title and the 19 Raptors are one of the most stacked defenses of all time.

Lowry, FVV, Danny = All Defense level guards
Siakam, Marc, Ibaka = All Defense level bigs including DPOY who was their anchor in playoffs

Remember the Raptors defense was even BETTER the next season despite Kawhi being replaced with OG and Danny being gone.

Now we've seen him without the best defensive coach in the league (14 Pop and Nurse)

He should do the right thing and forfeit the 2 DPOYs to Duncan and Draymond.

Kawhi is a good defender - and a lot of it depends on the coach. He is not past his prime. He put good numbers and he actually play team defense - but he is not all out on defense or let's say as dedicated as before 3-4 years, because he had very good offensive output. And all people want Kawhi to play 1:1 vs Luka, to lock him up, but this is some old thinking. First Luka is great player, big body, high IQ, skilled ... you can not simply put clamps on him, especially if he is on his game and step backs are falling.
Also winning in Toronto made the press overate him a lot - Kawhi claim his first MVP playing under Pop system and averaging under 20 ppg. Kawhi go to Toronto and join a good team - a team which made the ECF every year, and the year Lebron was not anymore in the East, Raptors made the Finals (got some lucky shot by Kawhi) and then went to face the decimated and helpless Warriors team (I have never see stars from one team receiving major injuries one by one in a series or so short spam of time). That's the facts - and now we have Kawhi regarded last season as the best player at the moment by some media.

[Im Still Ballin]

Kawhi is a good defender - and a lot of it depends on the coach. He is not past his prime. He put good numbers and he actually play team defense - but he is not all out on defense or let's say as dedicated as before 3-4 years, because he had very good offensive output. And all people want Kawhi to play 1:1 vs Luka, to lock him up, but this is some old thinking. First Luka is great player, big body, high IQ, skilled ... you can not simply put clamps on him, especially if he is on his game and step backs are falling.
Also winning in Toronto made the press overate him a lot - Kawhi claim his first MVP playing under Pop system and averaging under 20 ppg. Kawhi go to Toronto and join a good team - a team which made the ECF every year, and the year Lebron was not anymore in the East, Raptors made the Finals (got some lucky shot by Kawhi) and then went to face the decimated and helpless Warriors team (I have never see stars from one team receiving major injuries one by one in a series or so short spam of time). That's the facts - and now we have Kawhi regarded last season as the best player at the moment by some media.

Paragraph breaks. Use them.

[JohnMax]

He was still really great defensively when we won the title us in 2019 but since going to the Clippers his defense has regressed to the point where I'd say he's maybe above average. His offense keeps staying constant maybe even improving given his better passing but defense has been falling off.

I just assumed you were a Pistons fan because of Ben Wallace avatar. Is there a reason you have that avatar?

[dankok8]

I just assumed you were a Pistons fan because of Ben Wallace avatar. Is there a reason you have that avatar?

I'm a Raptors fan but I just like Big Ben...

[HoopsNY]

I'm a Raptors fan but I just like Big Ben...

Would have never imagined you being a Raptors fan bro lol.

[Shooter]

Kawhi is a good defender - and a lot of it depends on the coach. He is not past his prime. He put good numbers and he actually play team defense - but he is not all out on defense or let's say as dedicated as before 3-4 years, because he had very good offensive output. And all people want Kawhi to play 1:1 vs Luka, to lock him up, but this is some old thinking. First Luka is great player, big body, high IQ, skilled ... you can not simply put clamps on him, especially if he is on his game and step backs are falling.
Also winning in Toronto made the press overate him a lot - Kawhi claim his first MVP playing under Pop system and averaging under 20 ppg. Kawhi go to Toronto and join a good team - a team which made the ECF every year, and the year Lebron was not anymore in the East, Raptors made the Finals (got some lucky shot by Kawhi) and then went to face the decimated and helpless Warriors team (I have never see stars from one team receiving major injuries one by one in a series or so short spam of time). That's the facts - and now we have Kawhi regarded last season as the best player at the moment by some media.

Kawhi's 2014 Finals ppg wasn't even 18, let alone 20.

It was 17.8

[Shooter]

I just assumed you were a Pistons fan because of Ben Wallace avatar. Is there a reason you have that avatar?

He changes it every 2 weeks

[ClipperRevival]

Time for me to eat crow. I judged Kawhi after Dallas went up 2-0 and held Kawhi accountable for letting Luka go off, and i think rightfully so. But he showed the last 4 games that he absolutely is an elite defender.

[FKAri]

Time for me to eat crow. I judged Kawhi after Dallas went up 2-0 and held Kawhi accountable for letting Luka go off, and i think rightfully so. But he showed the last 4 games that he absolutely is an elite defender.

You're a real one :cheers:

[ClipperRevival]

You're a real one :cheers:

:cheers:

[julizaver]

Time for me to eat crow. I judged Kawhi after Dallas went up 2-0 and held Kawhi accountable for letting Luka go off, and i think rightfully so. But he showed the last 4 games that he absolutely is an elite defender.

That's why i did not judge Kawhi (or any player) based of final games results. Media rips Kawhi for 0:2 and also after Game 5 - but actually he had only one 1 bad game from the whole series. Beside that he was awesome. Completely took over in Game 6. He is an elite defender and he prove it. The Mavs will sorry for that Game 3 when they got 20 points lead in the beginning. One more thing - Mavs are not the best 3pt shooting team, and statistically they are even below average in that department (average at best). They missed so many open looks from 3 in Game 7, while Clippers were back to where they were in the regular season. I made some claim that Ty Lue is inferior coach to Doc Rivers based on lack of adjustments - but he made it in the last two games. No Pat Beverley and no Ivica Zubac going with a small line up - and it paid off. Mavs coach put the opposite - playing Boban and Porzingis, and in the firs half Clippers barely got a reboud, but their small line up lit up the Mavs on offense with the 3 point shooting, while Mavs were struggling mightily (only Luka magic had them close to Clippers at halftime).

[dankok8]

Kawhi did really decline as a defender in the last two years but in this series down the strength he really stepped it up. Kawhi looks like he's at his best again on both ends of the court.