BJ Armstrong: Kawhi Leonard's impact in the NBA has been 'immense'
"His impact on the game has been immense. He has really developed and come into his own out of nowhere"
Saturday 11 July 2020 12:56, UK
Kawhi Leonard has defied expectations with his remarkable impact since arriving in the NBA, believes former Chicago Bulls champion BJ Armstrong.
Leonard, a first-round pick in 2011, boasts two NBA Championships and two NBA Finals MVP awards across his time with the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors, notably delivering the latter's first NBA Championship in 2019.
The 29-year-old has a chance to become the first player ever to win a Finals MVP with three different teams this season as he leads the Los Angeles Clippers into this month's restart at Disney World.
"His impact on the game has been immense," Armstrong said on this week's episode of Heatcheck. "He has really developed and come into his own out of nowhere.
"Nobody expected Kawhi Leonard when he came into this league to be the player that is having the kind of impact we're seeing him have.
"He didn't win the Championship and was MVP once, he did it twice and then what he was able to do last year you have to marvel at it, whether you're a Kawhi Leonard fan or not.
"For him to go there, get traded and year one win a Championship, bring a Championship to Toronto, then become the MVP of the Finals just speaks volumes about who he is as a player."
Leonard's health has been a regular talking point in recent years after an injury-stricken 2017-18 season with the Spurs due to a right quadriceps problem.
Load management has been a familiar theme to his past two years, although he currently ranks eighth in the NBA with 26.9 points per game so far this season.
Armstrong believes another championship will propel him closer towards legendary status.
"I think what he's been able to do is, not only is he a great offensive player but he's really been able to do is have an impact on the defensive side of the game," added Armstrong.
"Defensively, him guarding LeBron James in those finals when he was in San Antonio, what he did last year against Giannis (Antetokounmpo).
"What he brings to the game and his team, you have to put him up there. If they win it this year, win back-to-back championships with different teams and he's MVP, what more can you say?"
