Season after season, Kawhi Leonard’s legacy appears to be increasingly shaped by what he has been unable to accomplish with the Los Angeles Clippers rather than the heights he once reached. The expectation that Kawhi would transform this team into genuine championship contenders has largely gone unmet, and when reports came out in this offseason about how the two-time Finals MVP made bizarre demands just to join the Clippers team and was paid under the table, fans did not see full commitment from him to erase that notion with his dedication on the court.
However, following “The Claw’s” career night most recently, an NBA analyst and sportswriter, Frank Isola, expressed deep regret at how Kawhi’s overall legacy has been hampered by constant controversies and weak durability issues, to the point where his greatness has obscured just how dominant he can be.
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Isola wishes fans saw Kawhi for the player he was
There is little debate that Kawhi can match up hard against any team, any opponent in the new era with extreme intensity when he is at full health. That reality was on display when the Clippers beat the best team in the East, the Detroit Pistons, 112-99, with Leonard scoring his career high 55 points on 65.4 percent shooting from the field – a number that would have been significantly more had he played more minutes in the fourth quarter.
Isola acknowledged just how good a 34-year-old Kawhi still is, but the only reasons fans fail to hand him the respect he deserves are that he is often hurt and cannot be trusted when the Clippers need him the most.
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“You see, Kawhi. There are times when there are great players on the court, and he can be dominant. The problem is he is always hurt, he is always missing games,” Isola said. “But the guy is talented. Pound-for-pound? There might not be a stronger player in the NBA. He’s got huge hands, strong hands… look at his legay. You wonder how people will see it when it’s all said and done… he has won championships with two different teams.”
Related: Corey Maggette presses why Kawhi Leonard is the key for Clippers success
Leonard has affected his own legacy
Few fans or analysts question what Leonard can do when he is physically right, even against the most dominant stars of the modern era. What troubles many observers is the perception that Leonard appears largely unaffected by criticism, perhaps insulated by the fact that he has already won two Finals MVPs and led two different franchises to NBA championships. This sense that past accomplishments should automatically translate into continued recognition and success has only intensified frustration around his current trajectory.
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Perhaps that lingering frustration explains why figures such as Stephen A. Smith have gone as far as to label Leonard the “worst superstar” a team can have. The critique is not rooted in talent, but in reliability. Each time Leonard seems poised to elevate his team to another level, he has often pulled back, whether due to injury, load management or inconsistent availability.
But as Isola said, the hope is that Kawhi, even if it is for the last time, can change the trajectory of his Clippers team and can make them compete hard, so that more fans can hand him the respect he deserves.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 31, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.