The LA Clippers’ NBA runs in the past few years has been less than eventful. Their last best was in 2021-22 when they went as far as the Conference Finals, only to be defeated by Phoenix Suns. This year, there were. renewed hopes for the team. Their almost-superteam with Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook was expected to finally bring in the result. And they did.

They won their season opener against the Portland Trail Blazers. And then posted two more wins to be 3-2 in the first five games. All their important pieces had finally started working well. In this scenario, bringing in James Harden to the mix was something no one could understand. Why add one more veteran? Well, Stephen A Smith seems to have the answer to it. And he is pointing fingers at Kawhi Leonard.

Why did he blame Kawhi?

During The Stephen A. Smith Show, the sports commentator shared his insight on the reason behind the trade. He said that Leonard is “the worst superstar any team could ever ever have”. Smith further explained why the forward is an unreliable investment in the Clippers from a business point of view.

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When looking at the stats, from the time he has been with LA since 2019, Kawhi has played an average of 53.6 games. And in the times that he does play, the commentator feels like he does absolutely nothing to promote your product. He gave an example for this pointing out Leonard’s collaboration with New Balance. In the advertisement, it is not Kawhi who speaks, but rather children. And Smith feels like this is not the best action in terms of promoting a brand.

This, Stephen shared, is the problem with Leonard. He added, “So all you have to rely upon when it comes to him is his greatness, clear greatness, as a player. And you have to pray for his durability.” He is of the opinion that Kawhi’s unreliability as a player forced the front office to ensure that they had a back-up in place, that being James Harden. He did not spare the 10x All-Star either, calling him a “problem” after his disastrous stints with the 76ers and Nets.

At the same time, Smith also pointed out that Russell Westbrook has been at his best since joining the Clippers in early 2023. Despite his short time with the team, point guard has already put helped them immensely with his skills.

A look at Leonard and Russell’s numbers

Over the past three seasons, the forward has an average of 25.2 points. So far in this season, he is averaging 20.5 points with 5.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 45.8% from the field. His performance has been marred by continuous injuries in the past. This time however, people hoped for a healthy Kawhi and they got it so far.

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Russell played 21 games last season to average 15.8 points with 7.6 assists. This season, he is averaging 14.0 points with 7.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists. He was doing much better than when he was with the Lakers previously. However, his performance has been down a slope since Harden joined the team. With six continuous losses, the team is still figuring out their style of play.

Watch this story: Hell Bent on Leaving the 76ers, James Harden Still Hopeful of Creating Dream Team With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George

What are your thoughts on Stephen A.’s opinion? Do you agree or disagree? Let us know.