When it comes to the “most feared player in the NBA” discussion, players like the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Golden State Warriors’ shooting maestro Steph Curry and of course, all-time scoring leader LeBron James should instantly come to mind.
While ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith thinks Steph Curry should hold the unofficial title because of how his exceptional scoring ability, particularly from three-point-range can single handedly turn the tide of any game, 13-year NBA veteran Marcus Morris has a different opinion: the Los Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard.
“I wouldn’t go far and say Steph Curry. Listen, he’s very respectable. Everybody knows Steph Curry, if not the best point guard to ever play the game, right? But I gotta disagree with you (Stephen A.). You know who am I gonna go to? I’m gonna talk about No. 2 with the Clipper-Nation, I’m gonna go with Kawhi Leonard! The reason why is because, Kawhi⊠healthy, is a totally different player,” Morris said on a recent episode of ESPN’s First Take.
“Mook” Morris specified that one of the biggest differences that makes Kawhi a totally differences from Steph is that Kawhi’s defensive capabilities, which rival his offensive ones, make the Clippers forward more of an overall threat.
Mook continued, “Offensively, Steph? You know you have to have three to four guys on him. But Kawhi? Offensively (and) defensively, you don’t want him even near the ball. We both know that Steph is a liability on defense, so we gonna build a plan to protect him defensively. (But) Kawhi – the way he carries a team offensively and defensively, when he’s healthy, that’s a man to be feared of.”
Though he was sidelined indefinitely to start the 2024-2025 season to rehabilitate from inflammation in his right knee, he returned to the court on January 4th, 2025 and was subjected to workload management in order to minimize the chance of stressing his knee again. Though he started off playing less than 30 minutes a game upon first returning to the court, Kawhi seems to be hitting his stride once again both in playing time and ability as of late, averaging over 35 minutes a game since the start of March, averaging 25.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.2 3PM and 1.8 steals in 13 games last month. In those games, Kawhi shot an impressive 52.1% from the field and 39.7% from three point range.
Are you surprised that Marcus Morris picks Kawhi Leonard over Steph Curry as the most feared player in the NBA? Or do you agree with him that when healthy, Kawhi can’t be overlooked as one of the most dominant players in the league? Let us know in the comments.
Featured image courtesy of: Hermitag on Wallpapers.com
