The rumors of Kawhi being toast are grossly exaggerated: Go check his game logs since January 1. He’s definitely back. He basically decided to take most of 2021 and almost all of 2022 off to ensure he’s back to 100%. November/December was just him warming up. Mark my words: The Clips will be in the WCF, maybe even the Finals, because of Klaw.
The brilliance of Klaw is perhaps best illustrated by the dude having a career steals-to-turnovers ratio in excess of 1.0, over twice the average of most all-stars (even MJ only had 0.86). Five steals with zero turnovers the other night in a 30+ point game. The psychology of stealing so much without turning it over is powerful, and it’s one of the many reasons why Kawhi’s teams barely ever lose three in a row. He’s still the best perimeter defensive player since MJ/Glove, and the best clutch shooter since MJ. His BBIQ is easily the highest in the league in this era. He does all of the little things to position his teammates for the greatest probability of success in his endless quest to win like Larry Bird and Bill Russell before him. He just quietly outsmarts everyone and contributes more to wins than any other active player. Celtic Pride if ever I saw an example in a non-Celtic.
Klaw even has the best winning percentage in league history, ahead of Magic and Bird in 2nd and 3rd. It’s a question of whether he will end with 4, 5 or 6 rings when it’s all said and done. We would be incredibly lucky to have him paired with JT/Smart/Timelord, and would become a dynasty with Kawhi cementing his status as the second best player of the post-MJ period. Heck, I would take prime Kawhi over prime LeBron, too - go watch the 2014 NBA Finals again, Kawhi’s Mona Lisa shutdown of Prime LeBron age 29 when Kawhi was only 22!! And to bookend that, he did the unbelievable of bringing a professional sports title to a Canadian club, the first time that has happened in nearly three decades. On a one-year-rental, which never produced a ring before or since. Who knows what rings 3 and 4 will look like (dare I say 5 and 6?).
For the above reasons, I think Kawhi is a basketball genius and a basketball legend who does not get his due. If you agree, feel free to add to this Kawhi appreciation thread.