Although a few weeks ago ESPN's Max Kellerman drew backlash when he said Kawhi Leonard was better than Kobe Bryant under pressure, Doc Rivers has now taken that praise a step further by saying he's the closest player we've ever seen to Michael Jordan.
"[Leonard] is the most like Jordan that we've seen," the Clippers head coach said Tuesday (May 28) night, adding that "there's a lot of great players. LeBron is phenomenal, KD is phenomenal. Not that [Leonard] is Jordan or anything like that, but he's the most like him."
Rivers went on to explain their similarities by adding that Leonard has "big hands, post game, can finish. Great leaper, great defender, in-between game. If you beat him to the spot he bumps you off, and then you add his three-point shooting."
Currently, the 2014 Finals MVP is averaging 31.2 points per game on 50.7% shooting in the postseason, while Jordan's postseason heroics still reign supreme with an average of 33.4 points per game in 179 contests.
With that said, some have speculated that Rivers has another agenda in his praise for Leonard, as the Clippers are currently listed as the most likely team to land the 3x All-Star in the offseason, based on the odds coming out of Las Vegas.
All the same, Leonard and the Raptors are set to face the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday (May 30), with tip-off from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto slated for 9 p.m. ET.
Source: SportsIllustrated
