Is Kawhi Already a Hall of Famer?

[Monkhouse]

He is good to great player and he has the hardware so yes is my answer.   He will be a first ballot kind of guy I wager.

He does have the accolades and resume to boast a HoF-like career. But I think he would need to at least play 3-4 years, and maybe hit Allstar or All Defensive Team twice at least before being anointed.


    NBA champion (2014)
    NBA Finals MVP (2014)
    2× NBA All-Star (2016, 2017)
    2× All-NBA First Team (2016, 2017)
    2× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2015, 2016)
    3× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2015–2017)
    NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2014)
    NBA All-Rookie First Team (2012)
    NBA steals leader (2015)
    Consensus second-team All-American (2011)
    2× First-team All-MWC (2010, 2011)
    California Mr. Basketball (2009)

[ederson]

I'd be surprised if he was.

How many players secured a spot in the hall of fame by their 6th-7th season ? Maybe Curry ?

That's an interesting question. There are a lot of older guys (like, pre 80's guys) who did, when careers weren't as long.

Lebron won his second MVP for his 7th season, so him. Same for Curry. Durant won his MVP and his 4th scoring title in his 7th season, so him, too.

Dwyane Wade had a scoring title and a FMVP in a dominant (if controversial) championship run by his 7th year, so he might've. Dwight Howard won his 3rd straight DPOY award in his 7th season, he had 3 rebounding titles and 2 shot blocking titles as well (heck, it might've been better for him if he had just retired after his 8th season). Chris Paul had led the league in assists twice and steals 4 times by his 7th year but he didn't get the MVP award he deserved in '08 so probably not him.

EDIT: Going back to some retired guys, Tim Duncan had won 2 FMVP's and 2 MVP's by year 7. Iverson had 3 scoring titles and an MVP by year 7.

Grant Hill is an interesting one because he just made the hall, mostly on the strength of his first 6 seasons and being a really nice guy. Post injury, he made one all star team, averaging 19.7 ppg for a bad Orlando team but had a nice run as a guy who could score 11-15 ppg and be good in the locker room. So his longevity as a role player has to have factored in, too.

The criteria to get into the hall of fame are a bit blurry. I guess winning the MVP award is important but is it enough ? Wade for example is not very clear he was an sure Hall of famer by season 7. Howard too.. Ben Wallace isn't. Granted Howard was better but wallace won the trophy while howard didn't.

Shouldn't Harden be a lock too ? And Westbrook ?

I think an MVP title , 3-4 all stars  and 2-3 all nba teams are not enough. Should not be enough.

[kozlodoev]

Grant Hill does have two NCAA titles and an Olympic gold too.

[Big333223]

I'd be surprised if he was.

How many players secured a spot in the hall of fame by their 6th-7th season ? Maybe Curry ?

That's an interesting question. There are a lot of older guys (like, pre 80's guys) who did, when careers weren't as long.

Lebron won his second MVP for his 7th season, so him. Same for Curry. Durant won his MVP and his 4th scoring title in his 7th season, so him, too.

Dwyane Wade had a scoring title and a FMVP in a dominant (if controversial) championship run by his 7th year, so he might've. Dwight Howard won his 3rd straight DPOY award in his 7th season, he had 3 rebounding titles and 2 shot blocking titles as well (heck, it might've been better for him if he had just retired after his 8th season). Chris Paul had led the league in assists twice and steals 4 times by his 7th year but he didn't get the MVP award he deserved in '08 so probably not him.

EDIT: Going back to some retired guys, Tim Duncan had won 2 FMVP's and 2 MVP's by year 7. Iverson had 3 scoring titles and an MVP by year 7.

Grant Hill is an interesting one because he just made the hall, mostly on the strength of his first 6 seasons and being a really nice guy. Post injury, he made one all star team, averaging 19.7 ppg for a bad Orlando team but had a nice run as a guy who could score 11-15 ppg and be good in the locker room. So his longevity as a role player has to have factored in, too.

The criteria to get into the hall of fame are a bit blurry. I guess winning the MVP award is important but is it enough ? Wade for example is not very clear he was an sure Hall of famer by season 7. Howard too.. Ben Wallace isn't. Granted Howard was better but wallace won the trophy while howard didn't.

Shouldn't Harden be a lock too ? And Westbrook ?

I think an MVP title , 3-4 all stars  and 2-3 all nba teams are not enough. Should not be enough.

Yeah, the hall is weird. Harden and Westbrook are definitely locks now but they've played 9 and 10 seasons and after this season will both have won MVP's and scoring titles. That'll be plenty. 

[Surferdad]

Should a guy with these stats be in the HOF?:
- career averages of just 13ppg/10rpg
- total of only 6215 points for his career
- 1 season MVP
- 1 Finals MVP
- 2 all-star games
- 3 AP All America honors
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/waltobi01.html
Not knocking Walton, just saying it is not so simple.

[gouki88]

Should a guy with these stats be in the HOF?:
- career averages of just 13ppg/10rpg
- total of only 6215 points for his career
- 1 season MVP
- 1 Finals MVP
- 2 all-star games
- 3 AP All America honors
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/waltobi01.html
Not knocking Walton, just saying it is not so simple.

Precisely. Numbers don't do Bill justice at all. Just as they don't for Kawhi

[Moranis]

I'd be surprised if he was.

How many players secured a spot in the hall of fame by their 6th-7th season ? Maybe Curry ?

That's an interesting question. There are a lot of older guys (like, pre 80's guys) who did, when careers weren't as long.

Lebron won his second MVP for his 7th season, so him. Same for Curry. Durant won his MVP and his 4th scoring title in his 7th season, so him, too.

Dwyane Wade had a scoring title and a FMVP in a dominant (if controversial) championship run by his 7th year, so he might've. Dwight Howard won his 3rd straight DPOY award in his 7th season, he had 3 rebounding titles and 2 shot blocking titles as well (heck, it might've been better for him if he had just retired after his 8th season). Chris Paul had led the league in assists twice and steals 4 times by his 7th year but he didn't get the MVP award he deserved in '08 so probably not him.

EDIT: Going back to some retired guys, Tim Duncan had won 2 FMVP's and 2 MVP's by year 7. Iverson had 3 scoring titles and an MVP by year 7.

Grant Hill is an interesting one because he just made the hall, mostly on the strength of his first 6 seasons and being a really nice guy. Post injury, he made one all star team, averaging 19.7 ppg for a bad Orlando team but had a nice run as a guy who could score 11-15 ppg and be good in the locker room. So his longevity as a role player has to have factored in, too.

The criteria to get into the hall of fame are a bit blurry. I guess winning the MVP award is important but is it enough ? Wade for example is not very clear he was an sure Hall of famer by season 7. Howard too.. Ben Wallace isn't. Granted Howard was better but wallace won the trophy while howard didn't.

Shouldn't Harden be a lock too ? And Westbrook ?

I think an MVP title , 3-4 all stars  and 2-3 all nba teams are not enough. Should not be enough.

Yeah, the hall is weird. Harden and Westbrook are definitely locks now but they've played 9 and 10 seasons and after this season will both have won MVP's and scoring titles. That'll be plenty.

They've both also had at least 5 seasons of high level elite scoring (and other) numbers.  Leonard has had just 2 seasons at over 20 ppg and only 1 of those was over 25. 

Leonard should be no where near a HOFer if he never played again.  It isn't all that close either.  The only hesitation is that the voters often let people in that they think would have been there had they not had their career cut short by injuries (or death). 

[ederson]

If scoring is so important then monta elis should get at least serious consideration. But then IMHO the bar is set too low. Hall of fame should be a very small club of exceptional bball figures...

[PAOBoston]

Not even close. He's had 2 elite years and then basically sat last season out.

[Birdman]

No way