Leonard is one of the best defensive players in the league. He was defensively established, rising to fame for restricting James in the 2014 Finals, then winning defensive player of the year twice and constantly enriching his offensive performances, gradually growing into the league's top superstar.
Defending has always been a hard job, trying your best but rarely getting the shots. And how strong Leonard's defensive strength is, only players who have been in his position will have a good understanding. In a podcast show from Redick, Kings rookie Harry Burton talked about Leonard's defensive abilities.
Redick said Leonard's body was so strong that it was so tough that he mistakenly thought the guy was a robot. In the first round of 2015 against the Spurs, Leonard defended Redick. "It was about a dead ball or penalty time and we had an exchange on the pitch. I walked up to him and couldn't remember what I said to each other, but I patted him on the stomach anyway. It was so strong that I thought I had just touched the body of a robot. ”
Halliburton also shared a little story about his first entry into the league. "On an offense, when Leonard saw me, he was like he was saying, 'Hey, I'm going to defend him!' I was ready to catch the ball, but his large hand was always near my hips, making it impossible for me to catch the ball. Then I ran around the three-point line without the ball, and when I found out I was finally running out of the empty space, I looked down and it turned out that I was near the middle circle sign. I don't even know how I got here, maybe he pushed me over during the confrontation. It's crazy, you can't imagine how strong this guy really is. ”
Halliburton's story is vivid and interesting, but it's still not enough to show Leonard's unique strength, agility and athleticism. Leonard is 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 225 pounds, but that's not all his talent.
In one image, The talents of Haliburton and Leonard's palms are on full display. Although Halliburton is 1.96 meters tall, about the same as Leonard, he weighs only 185 pounds and is noticeably thinner. In the comparison of palms, the size of the palms of the two is even more different. Leonard's palm talent gives him greater potential on both ends of the board.
In addition, George, Xiao Ka's teammate, often suffers critical hits invisibly. When Leonard high-fived or shook hands with his teammates, he must have been desperate. Without contrast, there was no harm, and Leonard's hand was really too big.