Kawhi has become overrated

[DonaldSanders]

This thread has great examples of how he's overrated. He's a great player, but best player -- no way. Plus that "dynasty ender" crap is the biggest overrated thing he gets "credit" for. E.g. I tried listening to "The Ringer" podcast and they kept calling him the super team stopper... had to turn it off. Raps would have been absolutely destroyed by a healthy Warriors team.

[michaelm]

Let’s see if the Raptors win a title without him.

[Yogatti]

If he wins a title for the Clippers he becomes undeniably top 10 all time.

ftfy

Let's assume he wins this year for the Clippers. Who do you kick out? I listed 11 btw.

Jordan
Russell
Kareem
Lebron
Duncan
Magic
Wilt
Bird
Shaq
Hakeem
Kobe

Wilt and Hakeem

[Bank Shot]

Calling him the best player in the league is overrating him. I don't know if he was even a top-10 guy during the regular season and his performance after the insane Sixers series was very good but nothing mind blowing. They got by the Bucks because Lowry went for 20/5/5 on an insane 71 TS% while Middleton went for 14 on 52 TS%. If Lowry only plays OK instead of like a superstar in that series or Middleton doesn't **** the bed, no one is calling Kawhi the best player in the league, even though his performance didn't change.

[JN61]

I have seen few posts here claiming he was in top 10 all time player list... Not sure if he even qualifies to top 50 career wise at this point.

[CIN-C-STAR]

I'm a big supporter of Kawhi as a great bball player, easily top-3 in the league right now.
But I do think the Raps supporting cast doesn't get enough credit. I was shocked how passive he was in the clinching game 6 of the Finals tbh.
He didn't even attempt a FG in 4th Q, and his only points were the desperation foul shot freebies he got at the very end when he was fouled on purpose. I know the Dubs were playing tough defense on him, but c'mon, with a title on the line he couldn't make one play in transition, get to his spot once, or even get off a spot-up 3-point attempt?
I thought the Raps would need him to play like a superstar to win, but I was wrong. He didn't and was carried to the title by Fred Van Vleet and Kyle Lowry and Siakam (only talking that game, of course. Kawhi was magnificent and carried that team at other points in the playoffs).
Count me in the group that thinks a healthy Warriors team wins that Finals for sure.
And also, the narrative that he carried the Spurs to a title is bullhockey. He wasn't even the best player on that team. That's revisionist history to support the recency bias narrative being created about him.

[CIN-C-STAR]

ftfy

Let's assume he wins this year for the Clippers. Who do you kick out? I listed 11 btw.

Jordan
Russell
Kareem
Lebron
Duncan
Magic
Wilt
Bird
Shaq
Hakeem
Kobe

Wilt and Hakeem

Wilt averaged 50 & 25 for an entire season. 50 points. And 25 rebounds. A game.
It's a surreal stat line that no one in his own era or any other has even approached.
Hakeem averaged 20+ & 10+ his first 10 seasons in the league. He also carried a 6th seed to a title as the unquestioned best player on a team with no other All Stars.
In terms of career achievements, Kawhi has a ways to go to pass either of those guys tbh. Even if you're just talking peak, a conversation which favors Kawhi as a late bloomer, I still don't think he's better than either of those guys.

[TheBallsDeeper]

All i hear is dynasty stopper, best player in the league, carries teams to championships, and people trying to place really him really high up on all time lists (or say that he is on track to surpass certain players).

IMO, he is overrated. I know the pros, but some of the following are "cons" (in quotes because they are not necessarily bad things, but things that make him overrated)

1. raw career averages of only 17.7 / 6.3 / 2.4

2. myth - he stopped the miami heat dynasty - raw stats were right around his unimpressive career averages. obviously his defense doesn't always show up on the stat seat, but that victory was a total team effort. it is no more impressive than iggy's final's MVP - in fact, it is starkingly similar. one of the least impressive finals MVPs of all time.

3. myth - he stopped the gsw dynasty and carried the sorry raptors to a championship- he was obviously the clear cut best player on a championship team, but he did not carry a poor supporting cast nor can it be said (at least with a straight face) that he stopped the gsw dynasty. The raptors supporting cast is criminally underrated when Kawhi is talked about. Lowry - all-star, Siakim all-star level, Vanvleet - unsung hero, amazing team defence, etc, 18 - 4 regular season record without him. GSW's injuries stopped their dynasty IMO.

4. playmaking - among any conversation of all time great wings, his playmaking ability/court vision is relatively horrendous.

In spite of the all time great defence, with those unimpressive stats, inferior playmaking ability, and the fact (IMO) that he is not a dynasty stopper, going forward, please refrain from including him in any conversation with the likes of kobe bryant, lebron james, michael jordan, dwayne wade, larry bird, etc. He is more like scottie pippen than those guys (and that isn't supposed to be a knock).

Still only age 28, he has a lot of time to prove me wrong, but i doubt he will.

This post is what happens when you look at box scores instead of watching games.

[The_Hater]

This didn’t take long....

[Yogatti]

Wilt averaged 50 & 25 for an entire season. 50 points. And 25 rebounds. A game.
It's a surreal stat line that no one in his own era or any other has even approached.
Hakeem averaged 20+ & 10+ his first 10 seasons in the league. He also carried a 6th seed to a title as the unquestioned best player on a team with no other All Stars.
In terms of career achievements, Kawhi has a ways to go to pass either of those guys tbh. Even if you're just talking peak, which favors Kawhi as a bit of a late bloomer, I still don't he's better than either of those guys.

Can Wilt average 50 & 25 against actual competiton? Can he do that playing in the 90s against Ewing, Hakeem, Shaq, D-Ro? Nope

If Kawhi wins with Clippers, he has 3 rings and 3 FMVP so yes he surpasses Hakeem

[stillgotgame]

Let’s see if the Raptors win a title without him.

They could, if the great Masai had a backup plan. Still a loaded team, surprised he hasn’t made any significant moves.

[Roscoe Sheed]

Wilt averaged 50 & 25 for an entire season. 50 points. And 25 rebounds. A game.
It's a surreal stat line that no one in his own era or any other has even approached.
Hakeem averaged 20+ & 10+ his first 10 seasons in the league. He also carried a 6th seed to a title as the unquestioned best player on a team with no other All Stars.
In terms of career achievements, Kawhi has a ways to go to pass either of those guys tbh. Even if you're just talking peak, which favors Kawhi as a bit of a late bloomer, I still don't he's better than either of those guys.

Can Wilt average 50 & 25 against actual competiton? Can he do that playing in the 90s against Ewing, Hakeem, Shaq, D-Ro? Nope

If Kawhi wins with Clippers, he has 3 rings and 3 FMVP so yes he surpasses Hakeem

Perhaps Wilt would have. We’ll never know. He was one of the greatest athletes of all time. May he Rest In Peace rather than constantly s$$$ing on his immense accomplishments

[Not Suave Rico]

He's pretty good. Glad he is on my team.

[Richfield]

Kawhi has become overhated.

[KootenayRapFan]

Let’s see if the Raptors win a title without him.

Lets see if the warriors win a title without Durant first?

[Hoopz Afrik]

Naw Finally being properly rated.

[adubmac]

I actually thought Kawhi was a tad overrated during the regular season, especially on off the ball defence and in the last minute of games, but then the playoffs happened and I realized he was it was all a dress rehearsal for him.

Kawhi deserves all the praise he receives this offseason. He's a true superstar in a superstar league.

[michaelm]

Let’s see if the Raptors win a title without him.

Lets see if the warriors win a title without Durant first?

I am not particularly hopeful GSW will, although I still have my memories of them already having done so previously of course.

My point was about Kawhi rather than the Raptors, and I readily acknowledge the contribution of other Raptors players to the title win.

Kawhi like Durant is one of the rare players who can take a team over the top however, and it is hence imo fairly hard to over-rate him, cf the Clippers already being favourites for the next title and probably justifiably so. Similarly Durant, whom the Nets were happy to sign to a max contract despite this involving paying him to rehab for the first year, on the off chance he might return at something like his previous level as a player.

[Edrees]

Lakers fans (and Raptors fans too a bit) have become more unsufferable about Kawhi than Spurs fans will be next season. I find it funny.

Who would have thought Lakers fans, spurs fans, and raptors fans would ever be united about Kawhi.

[Official]

The media has to crown someone as the best player in the NBA. Since Lebron took the year off, KD got injured, and Steph didn't have Klay for 2 games - Kawhi got the nod. Kawhi will lose the hype by December - yes that quick. I believe the media will be calling AD the best player in the NBA during the regular season - the guy is a stat machine defensively, offensively in raw (has multiple 40/15+ rebound games) or advance metrics (Kawhs numbers are not even close to his) and now that he will actually be on a top 3 seed and with the Lakers - the media will hype him up.