When the Denver Nuggets faced off against the Los Angeles Clippers, little did anybody knew what was coming. With Nikola Jokic and co. 1-0 up, things looked like an easy task for the Nuggets. But Kawhi Leonard had other ideas. Soon after the game began, Leonard began to show why he is still one of the best in the NBA. Helping his team secure a 105-102 victory, Leonard dropped a whopping 39 points. Now, speaking about the mayhem, James Harden has derailed on how under appreciated Leonard is.
James Harden was asked to comment on what went down with Kawhi Leonard. And although he was seemingly elated, for Harden, this was no surprise at all. According to him, every athlete in the Clippers’ locker room knew the worth of Kawhi Leonard. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the others. As per Harden, Leonard was pretty much under appreciated.
“It’s always the hate. It’s something we gotta live with I guess in this world. For me being closer to him, and every single day seeing the work he puts in, you appreciate him,” Harden stated.
James Harden says Kawhi Leonard doesn’t get the appreciation he deserves.
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) April 22, 2025
“Not even a little bit. It’s always negative. It’s always what he’s been through and what he’s not able to do. Just because of something he can’t control. But we don’t appreciate how great he is when he’s… pic.twitter.com/Fn3cmRBcsD
The Clippers’ star also stated how everyone was only interested in the negative side of Leonard. Meanwhile, as the entire NBA is hailing Leonard, Stephen A. Smith predicted something similar a few days back.
Stepehen A. Smith Expected Great Things From Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard was in fine form throughout the current NBA season. Despite his team suffering from inconsistent performances, Leonard remained as one of the key players of the Clippers. And thus, looking at his potential, NBA analyst, Stephen A. Smith predicted that Leonard could prove to be a menace for his opponents.
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“You got me. That damn Kawhi Leonard looks special right now.” Smith said.
"You got me. That damn Kawhi Leonard looks special right now." 😤 @stephenasmith says the Clippers could "go to the conference finals, if not the Finals" with this version of Kawhi Leonard 📈 pic.twitter.com/kzPr265s5n
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 14, 2025
And he was not wrong. In the 37 games that he played, Leonard averaged 21.5 points with 5.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. Thus, with the situation looking quite interesting for Leonard, it now remains to be seen how things pan out in the future.
