True but it seems so tiring, being able to do that though every play and people say he shouldn't have been DPOY? Foh, its not all about steals and blocks to me. He's hard to get by, he shut down Lebron in the finals! He deserves it, Spurs will be back and better this coming season. Aldridge will be a great compliment to Timmy.
Darius Woodfolk I don't think I'd do a Chris Paul one because that'd just take FOREVER (I know because I tried, it's just A LOT) but I already have Steph, Bron & even Kyrie sort of started/sorted, so you'll see one of those 3 real soon, with the rest to follow
Esteban Mireles I would say those three are the top wing defenders but that Kawhi edges those two (but not by a lot). If we're looking at one guy who all three have had to defend for multiple games in succession (for instance, in a playoff series), LeBron faced them all in 2013. PG & Butler did great on the perimeter but got bullied (relatively speaking) in the post.
Defense is so damn underrated in basketball. It's HALF OF THE GAME. Whenever you discuss who's the best in ball or something all people talk about are handles, dunks, jumpshot, etc etc. I find it so annoying when people don't even mention it when talking about basketball.
Kawhi is like Ron Artest without the mental instability. Like Gary Payton, without the trash talking. This dude has overtaken Tony Allen as THE premier perimeter defender
Negative, not only is Ron Artest taller, he is also stronger and weighs more. The only advantage Kawhi has is longer arms and bigger hands, which is helpful, but Artest in his prime was better
+REDRAGON12345 Artest had a very short prime. The one year when I think he was truly the best perimeter defender ever was when he beat Ben Wallace for defensive player of the year. Overall I still choose Kawhi over Artest, I mean world peace
Of all the players in the NBA, Kawhi makes the most plays where I don't really understand what just happened. Things are going fine for the team on offense and then things are definitely not fine.
Yeah, there's rarely much you can do to defend after a steal from the top of the key. Nobody's back except for a guy who still needs to turn around just to try and run with the pick pocket.
Insane that this comment was made before Kawhi was even considered an offensive player like he is now. The season at the Raptors really showed how much he worked on his handles and shots to be a great scorer.
Reminds me so much of Jordan on the defensive end, he's honestly a combination of Pippen and Jordan on defense. The way he stays in front of his opponents and blocks shots is reminiscent of Jordan, and the way he uses his wingspan to pick his opponents pocket is reminiscent of Pippen. My favourite player in the league.
Amazing! Thank you for this! Truly does remind me of the Bulls Scottie pippen! You forgot arguably his greatest defensive move, the series saving block/strip while going vertical using his right hand on a Russell Westbrook in the dying moments of Game 6 NBA WCF 2014.
xotillioverdose I didn't actually. The description reads that these are all regular season defensive plays, so when I finish the Kawhi playoff defense video, you'll most definitely see that one there. It's a can't miss play.
Evin Gualberto Oh my goodness.. That strip on Westbrook was one of the best plays from the 2014 Playoffs. The timing and the precision knowing that a slight touch on the hand means Russ getting a chance for an And1.
With Monster long arms, PG standard speed, strong enough to slow down Lebron, and that two steals from Curry and CP3, which proves his incredible accuracy and vision. You got to throw millions on this guy. He and Jimmy Butler are my favorite Defenders right now. So rare to have so good defenders nowadays.
This Kid is a absolute blessing on the court I'm truly proud to say he's now a top three in my book of small forwards of course #1Kevin Durant #2carmelo Anthony #3 Kawhi Leonard dude is a absolute beast
He's probably the best perimeter defenders of all time. With hand-checking not allowed and 3-point shots so wildly used to spread floor in today's game, no one can lock down their matchup like Kawhi. Scottie was great, but he played in an era where you can be extra physical to the perimeter players. Today's game, not so much. The so called "soft" nba today favors floor spacing and offense, but it shows just how great Kawhi's defense is.
Leonard defense seems to reflect on how quiet he is, he never let's anybody break his concentration. when you have focus like he does the games slow down mentally. sorta like the matrix, which makes it easy to lock down passing lanes and strip the ball of the bounce. he's already lengthy which is a plus
What a terror to any offense! Kawhi is like three extra people out there. There's enough pressure on you if Kahwi is guarding you, but his help defense is incredible when you don't even see him coming... on the perimeter, around the basket - everyone from the point guard to the center have to look out for him.
nice video all we need as fans is to vote him as an all star he's one of the best peremeter defensive player will see what he can do with some rest now and no injury problems also maybe a few weapons can help like Aldridge west Simmons and its not just him having rest the whole roster
This was one of the most fun NBA I have followed, and one of the fun parts was Kawhi returning from injury in like March and immediately looking like Scottie Pippen on defense. He really established himself as a top 10 player and true start this year.
***** According to SpursTalk he's been at Chris Paul's summercamp or something and pictures showed he looked even more bulked up, like heavier, pretty scary, go KIWI!
***** oh I know exactly what you mean. The 2014-2015 season was all about him being more aggressive and shooting the shots he wanted and oh man did he. Kawhi offensively has become a serious threat mid range even while being guarded this man doesn't hesitate on the 3 anymore. I can't wait to see the combination of a Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge. With the rest they've gotten and the growth pace Kawhi's been going at since really 2013, I can't even speculate how great he'll look at the end of the 2015-2016 season!
+jermaineonealnumber7 I saw that man I thought he got fatter and out of shape lol but bulkness is good cuz look at lebron but it does slow you down a bit so will see I
The way kawhi plays D is unparalleled in this league today, he can consistently ball hawk the best player on the floor in most cases to the point that he completely negates them on offense and in turn disrupts offensive schemes.
Sidenote, crowds and fans love watching the ball handling of Kyrie, Shooting of the splash bros, the athleticism that is the freight train Lebron and Westbrook and the silkiness of Harden but give me Kawhis defense over that any day.
The crazy thing about the klaw is his defensive IQ is off the chart. He can cut the passing lane,read opponent's move,steal,block and lockdown. Nowadays he is becoming a great scorer. No wonder MJ call him the best 2 way player in the league right now
I had Draymond Green as my DPOY, but Kawhi is also a pest on the defensive end, he gave LeBron some nightmares during the Finals last year. Well deserved!
***** I totally feel you. I had Draymond as my DPOY too, but that doesn't mean Kawhi is less deserving. The fact that Draymond got more 1st places votes is pretty telling. I think that 42 people leaving Dray off their defensive ballots entirely is also incredibly telling. The people in the know knew to vote him DPOY, the people who aren't in the know, didn't vote for him at all. For the record, Kawhi was left off of 26 ballots entirely also. I think if there were people that left both of these guys off their lists, they should have their votes rescinded and their ballots taken away.
Im here even as a Rockets fan because even though i hate the Spurs, i respect their franchises success and personally i hate that Kawhi is the first Spurs player i genuinely like. Glad to see him putting great defense on the map.
To me, he's the most feared perimeter defender since Scottie Pippen. The way he manages to strip the ball, play the passing lanes, block shots and beat the offensive player to the spot is very similar to Pippen.
mvp or 2nd place regular season games, defensive player of year 2016 again and possible nba 2016 champions it can happen believe it or not! the list go on he's only 24 years old.
That steal on CP3 when the Clippers are down 3 hurt me so much. I mean usually when Cp is isolated on anyone you would take that but Kawhi just ate him up on that possession.
Question: at 1:10 after Kawhi dived on the floor to get the ball couldn't James have dived instead of bending down and running to get the ball and a teammate could have come and helped him because I know running while bending over is just slower than normal running (just a question not hating)
Kawhi makes defense much more fun to watch
+SoonKyu515 true XD
ikr fav player cause hes a hof defensive player
SoonKyu515 Great defense is always fun to watch
Him and Tony Allen but when Kawhi does a big defensive play then scores on the break it’s fun to watch
Kawhi inspired me to be a two-way big man in the nba
The LOCKness monster
+Ryan Trollin The brother is Harden, the LOCKless monster.
I could watch his defensive highlights all day. his defense is more fun to watch than most teams offenses. lol
He makes defense look fun haha i could watch an hour long video of him defending
True but it seems so tiring, being able to do that though every play and people say he shouldn't have been DPOY? Foh, its not all about steals and blocks to me. He's hard to get by, he shut down Lebron in the finals! He deserves it, Spurs will be back and better this coming season. Aldridge will be a great compliment to Timmy.
+P2P 6God His defense is extremely tiring. Most players would only be able to do it for maybe a quarter and then be completely out of stamina
+cole128 he played nice against Lebron, but 28 points on 57% isnt shutting down.
+Kawhi Duncan right,?
TheClawLBJ 23 z
This dude is dangerous. If you make even the slightest mistake, he will make you pay.
+Beatson right,? lol
Beatson ikr
This guy is a bounty hunter. Hunting all All-Star Assassins out there.
DPOY.
Evin Gualberto could you start doing passing highlights for players like Chris Paul, LeBron, stephen curry, and anyone else you find.
Darius Woodfolk I don't think I'd do a Chris Paul one because that'd just take FOREVER (I know because I tried, it's just A LOT) but I already have Steph, Bron & even Kyrie sort of started/sorted, so you'll see one of those 3 real soon, with the rest to follow
In your opinion who is better from kawhi, butler and Paul George defensively
Esteban Mireles I would say those three are the top wing defenders but that Kawhi edges those two (but not by a lot). If we're looking at one guy who all three have had to defend for multiple games in succession (for instance, in a playoff series), LeBron faced them all in 2013. PG & Butler did great on the perimeter but got bullied (relatively speaking) in the post.
Evin Gualberto true I agree because kawhi Leonard did a excellent job on lebron in the 2014 finals and earned a finals mvp
Defense is so damn underrated in basketball. It's HALF OF THE GAME. Whenever you discuss who's the best in ball or something all people talk about are handles, dunks, jumpshot, etc etc. I find it so annoying when people don't even mention it when talking about basketball.
It's the same in every sports. In football you'll never hear someone saying a defender is the world's best player.
+Do You Wanna Ride Or Die ? Not in Football, both offense and defense are recognized as equal value.
o
Do You Wanna Ride Or Die ? In Football (Which I think you called it soccer) Fabio Cannavaro won the ballon d or in 2006
Nothing in basketball is half the game lmao
Pure joy to watch...
+TheRealMc101 yes indeed...
Kawhi is like Ron Artest without the mental instability. Like Gary Payton, without the trash talking. This dude has overtaken Tony Allen as THE premier perimeter defender
+Gabriel Leung yea man, he's the best!!!
Kawhi reminds me of Pip's game except Scottie had higher IQ on the offence as well as the defence and was a great communicator
Negative, not only is Ron Artest taller, he is also stronger and weighs more. The only advantage Kawhi has is longer arms and bigger hands, which is helpful, but Artest in his prime was better
+REDRAGON12345 Artest had a very short prime. The one year when I think he was truly the best perimeter defender ever was when he beat Ben Wallace for defensive player of the year. Overall I still choose Kawhi over Artest, I mean world peace
REDRAGON12345 Kawhi aint even in his prime yet
3:20 long arms big hands and an even bigger heart. Love watching this dude play the game the way it's supposed to be played.
Of all the players in the NBA, Kawhi makes the most plays where I don't really understand what just happened. Things are going fine for the team on offense and then things are definitely not fine.
i wish more people understood this it's the timing of his steals that makes him so deadly and how he quickly turns most of them into points
Yeah, there's rarely much you can do to defend after a steal from the top of the key. Nobody's back except for a guy who still needs to turn around just to try and run with the pick pocket.
exactly well said
Defense wins championships! I love being able to conpletly lock a guy down and make it hard for him to shoot or dribble
illusive_nezzy88 the best feeling 🥳
You can't play around with the basketball when Kawhi is guarding you!!!
K Lew yes boo
4:33 is the flashiest play I've ever seen Kawhi make. I have a lot of respect for him for being an absolute beast while also staying humble.
mvp someday
never
yes easily
Patrick Robertson sike
Charles Shockley hopefully never
Patrick Robertson umm he deserves it
He's so fun to watch.
Cody yes preach
This guy belongs in the 90's
Word
Archus88 He would be monster in the 90's though
With handchech? Kawhi would be a Terminator in the 90s
He would strip those non-skilled ball handlers in the 90's remember he was locking skilled pg/shooting guards of this era LMAO 😆
After watching so many offensive videos, then d videos are such a fresh breath. Nothing better then playing great D and getting out in transition.
Mygod. He chases his man like a bear that just awaken from hibernation.
if u put michael jordan and scottie pippen together, u get kawhi leonard.
Boss nah,more like Michael Jordan and Clyde Drexler
MJ midgame kawhi is not on MJ level though. And pippen and MJ defense. I think kawhi is better though and he dont even handcheck.
Insane that this comment was made before Kawhi was even considered an offensive player like he is now. The season at the Raptors really showed how much he worked on his handles and shots to be a great scorer.
Pippen's arms + MJ's hands = unstoppable
Clyde and Scottie
Kawhi "Fuck Yo' Offense" Leonard
TripThreez yes
there's only one word for him, AMAZING!!
When you barely have to bend your knees and your hands can still touch the ground, you're gonna get a lot of steals.
sounds like lebron fan
sounds like a lebron fan
+mike time
Look out below!
Oh and lebron just never uses his body or speed to get close to the rim? Without that body he's nothing
without kawhi's arms and hands he's nothing
4 traes later he is a two times champ and finals MVP
this is greatness. this whole video I was saying to my self "who blocks those?" and "I've never seen that in my life."
Reminds me so much of Jordan on the defensive end, he's honestly a combination of Pippen and Jordan on defense. The way he stays in front of his opponents and blocks shots is reminiscent of Jordan, and the way he uses his wingspan to pick his opponents pocket is reminiscent of Pippen. My favourite player in the league.
I planned on just watching a few seconds of this, I look down, and the video is over. Great stuff.
You're about to get a ton of hits on this video lol.
CONGRATS KAWHI!!!!
Kawhi picked Curry clean at 0:58. One of my favorite players in the league to watch.
Amazing! Thank you for this! Truly does remind me of the Bulls Scottie pippen! You forgot arguably his greatest defensive move, the series saving block/strip while going vertical using his right hand on a Russell Westbrook in the dying moments of Game 6 NBA WCF 2014.
xotillioverdose I didn't actually. The description reads that these are all regular season defensive plays, so when I finish the Kawhi playoff defense video, you'll most definitely see that one there. It's a can't miss play.
Evin Gualberto Oh my goodness.. That strip on Westbrook was one of the best plays from the 2014 Playoffs. The timing and the precision knowing that a slight touch on the hand means Russ getting a chance for an And1.
amazing defender but harden was robbed on DPOY
I agree
Rayleigh king lmfaoo
Sarcasm game too stronk
Yung Draco yo name is yung Draco keep yo L
Lol W
So glad this guy ended up in the Spurs system. He's like the embodiment of Pop's philosophy.
Rip
Lol
This is how highlights are supposed to be!
His passing is underrated, I was impressed several times throughout this video with his great, quick decision passes
This is a good compilation. I had no idea Leonard was such a good defender.
+Greg S (SocalAdventures) oh yea man, he's guud!!!
I really enjoy his defensive style. I mean style, it reminds me of Michael Jordan
very picky
literally their so good at perimeter shot blocking and on-ball steals
But better
Yea Jordan was defending some garbage compared to kawhi. They not the same bro
The Klaw a beast!
#GoSpursGo
He makes it look so smooth
Defensive Legend.
With Monster long arms, PG standard speed, strong enough to slow down Lebron, and that two steals from Curry and CP3, which proves his incredible accuracy and vision. You got to throw millions on this guy. He and Jimmy Butler are my favorite Defenders right now. So rare to have so good defenders nowadays.
I can tell this video was fun to make, swat, swat, dunk! The Klaw! can't wait for the playoff highlight video.
I'll say it if nobody else does..he really has had his way with Aaron affalo lol
And Mozgov....hell he had his way with the Nuggets😂
This Kid is a absolute blessing on the court I'm truly proud to say he's now a top three in my book of small forwards of course #1Kevin Durant #2carmelo Anthony #3 Kawhi Leonard dude is a absolute beast
such a joy to watch
He's probably the best perimeter defenders of all time. With hand-checking not allowed and 3-point shots so wildly used to spread floor in today's game, no one can lock down their matchup like Kawhi. Scottie was great, but he played in an era where you can be extra physical to the perimeter players. Today's game, not so much. The so called "soft" nba today favors floor spacing and offense, but it shows just how great Kawhi's defense is.
Andy Shin Thanks!! Where do you rank an Andre Roberson ?
i love this video!!!! ive watched it so many times lol
Leonard defense seems to reflect on how quiet he is, he never let's anybody break his concentration. when you have focus like he does the games slow down mentally. sorta like the matrix, which makes it easy to lock down passing lanes and strip the ball of the bounce. he's already lengthy which is a plus
What a terror to any offense! Kawhi is like three extra people out there. There's enough pressure on you if Kahwi is guarding you, but his help defense is incredible when you don't even see him coming... on the perimeter, around the basket - everyone from the point guard to the center have to look out for him.
Yo u the goat for having these clips I was wondering could i use them??
Jay NBA yeah, please go for it!
Kawhi will be MVP in 2017
+WealthyWolf im looking forward to it!!!
never
no revolutionary offense
That was amazing. Good job bro
Best defensive player in our generation 👐🏽🔒
nice video all we need as fans is to vote him as an all star he's one of the best peremeter defensive player will see what he can do with some rest now and no injury problems also maybe a few weapons can help like Aldridge west Simmons and its not just him having rest the whole roster
DPOY!! Watching his defensive play is fun!!
came from watching James Harden defense
does such a video even exist?
+LJC lol
This guy is gold!
thank you for this video! this is awesome work!!
kawhis defense is on a new level
This was one of the most fun NBA I have followed, and one of the fun parts was Kawhi returning from injury in like March and immediately looking like Scottie Pippen on defense. He really established himself as a top 10 player and true start this year.
Kawhi finally getting some rest.
First 4 years were con. finals, finals, finals, and 1st round.
***** According to SpursTalk he's been at Chris Paul's summercamp or something and pictures showed he looked even more bulked up, like heavier, pretty scary, go KIWI!
***** oh I know exactly what you mean. The 2014-2015 season was all about him being more aggressive and shooting the shots he wanted and oh man did he. Kawhi offensively has become a serious threat mid range even while being guarded this man doesn't hesitate on the 3 anymore. I can't wait to see the combination of a Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge. With the rest they've gotten and the growth pace Kawhi's been going at since really 2013, I can't even speculate how great he'll look at the end of the 2015-2016 season!
+jermaineonealnumber7 I saw that man I thought he got fatter and out of shape lol but bulkness is good cuz look at lebron but it does slow you down a bit so will see I
i love his steal & fast break Dunk! It seems his signature move!
The way kawhi plays D is unparalleled in this league today, he can consistently ball hawk the best player on the floor in most cases to the point that he completely negates them on offense and in turn disrupts offensive schemes.
This is why kawhi is my favorite
This is 5 years ago and now he is not threat just in defence.Best player in the league rn.
Sidenote, crowds and fans love watching the ball handling of Kyrie, Shooting of the splash bros, the athleticism that is the freight train Lebron and Westbrook and the silkiness of Harden but give me Kawhis defense over that any day.
All of the dislikes from this video is from the Offense Players.
The crazy thing about the klaw is his defensive IQ is off the chart. He can cut the passing lane,read opponent's move,steal,block and lockdown. Nowadays he is becoming a great scorer. No wonder MJ call him the best 2 way player in the league right now
I had Draymond Green as my DPOY, but Kawhi is also a pest on the defensive end, he gave LeBron some nightmares during the Finals last year. Well deserved!
***** I totally feel you. I had Draymond as my DPOY too, but that doesn't mean Kawhi is less deserving. The fact that Draymond got more 1st places votes is pretty telling. I think that 42 people leaving Dray off their defensive ballots entirely is also incredibly telling. The people in the know knew to vote him DPOY, the people who aren't in the know, didn't vote for him at all. For the record, Kawhi was left off of 26 ballots entirely also. I think if there were people that left both of these guys off their lists, they should have their votes rescinded and their ballots taken away.
***** It's not just Lebron, he gave Kevin Durant some nightmares too!!!
Ashley Huggins That's why Durant was salty after Kawhi got his Finals MVP. He got locked up by the Klaw earlier in the playoffs
Tony allen was a candidate am i right?
6 GodCurry I believe so.
Just so fun to watch the Klaw's defence.
Leonard= Absolute defensive terror!
Im here even as a Rockets fan because even though i hate the Spurs, i respect their franchises success and personally i hate that Kawhi is the first Spurs player i genuinely like. Glad to see him putting great defense on the map.
Really good video, thanks for the work you put into that : )
4:39 Leonard just doesn't give a shit whatsoever lmao dude had no idea what was going on 😂
To me, he's the most feared perimeter defender since Scottie Pippen. The way he manages to strip the ball, play the passing lanes, block shots and beat the offensive player to the spot is very similar to Pippen.
That Westbrook strip was too funny 😆😂
Easily one of the most fun players to watch, seeing how he strips some of the best ball handlers in the league making it look easy
+Matt He definitely makes it look fun
kawhi's emperors eye
Leonard the Lockdown
.
.
.
I like that
Kawhi is just a guy you can't dislike
cookies! boy snatching those steals
this is beautiful
Great video man. Well done
Good job on the vid brotha. Subscribed
i first thought the claw was a lame nickname now it fits him so perfectly
I still feel like "The Taxman" or "The Assassin" suits him better.
mvp or 2nd place regular season games, defensive player of year 2016 again and possible nba 2016 champions it can happen believe it or not! the list go on he's only 24 years old.
why does it feels like people are afraid to drive when Kawhi is guarding them?
Hall of fame intimidator badge
Kawhi and Danny are the best defending duo in the league
Favorite player! Go Spurs go!
Timing is everything man
great video! nice description lol. Can you please make a Roy Hibbert defensive video? Thank you!
Pick CP3 AND Curry, can switch from a 2 to a 4 without a blink, steals anything anywhere, and defends the rim.....PHENOM.
Notice how the spurs are almost always winning in every one of these games such a dominant franchise 🐐🐐🐐
his defense is crazy good he keeps it up could be one of the greatest
seems like hes playing against little kids lol
Amel Mekic yes
Jo mama
This video is GANGSTER
Love the way he steals the ball lol.
That steal on CP3 when the Clippers are down 3 hurt me so much. I mean usually when Cp is isolated on anyone you would take that but Kawhi just ate him up on that possession.
Westbrook jumped like a scared cat lol (last clip btw)
Question: at 1:10 after Kawhi dived on the floor to get the ball couldn't James have dived instead of bending down and running to get the ball and a teammate could have come and helped him because I know running while bending over is just slower than normal running (just a question not hating)