Kawhi Leonard is an enigma. Despite being the NBA’s most elite two-way player and a legitimate MVP candidate, he almost never expresses emotion — positive or negative — during the course of a game, even when he drills a game-winning shot.
These 2 stats tell you everything you need to know about Kawhi Leonard
He never gets angry and he never commits fouls.
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Perhaps it’s not too surprising, then, that Leonard has only been called for one technical foul in his six-year NBA career, which came during the 2012 playoffs his rookie year.
Still, this an incredible feat — that’s just one tech in 465 games!
For comparison, DeMarcus Cousins has accumulated 111 technical fouls in his 483-game career. This season alone, he’s been T’d up an astonishing 19 times, and the Pelicans still have eight games to go before the season’s over.
But even the most mature and revered NBA stars lose their temper once in a while. LeBron James has been hit with four technical fouls this season, and Dwyane Wade’s been called for five. Chris Paul, eight. Even the notoriously soft-spoken Tim Duncan was called for at least one technical every season in his 19-year career.
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Even more impressively, Leonard has more steals (694) than fouls (685) in his regular-season career
If you’ve ever played any level of basketball, you know how easy it is to foul compared to getting a steal. Renowned perimeter defenders like Ron Artest, Bruce Bowen, and Shane Battier all fouled way more than they stole the ball.
The fact that Kawhi’s accomplished this over the course of six seasons is a serious testament to his discipline. He makes it look easy on the defensive end.
Leonard is currently a candidate for a third consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award, and stats like these certainly help his case.
See More:
