Despite being overlooked for the All-Star Game, Los Angeles Clippers’ star Kawhi Leonard had a phenomenal game last night at the Intuit Dome. Seemingly on a mission to entertain his local fans, The Klaw delivered a stellar performance. His 31-point effort on 11-of-13 shooting in the semifinals against Team World propelled his team to the finals, where they unfortunately fell short. He still couldn’t win everyone over.

Even though the majority of the analysts and fans lauded Leonard for putting on a show on Sunday, senior journalist Stephen A. Smith didn’t bat an eye. The First Take host, on the contrary, questioned the 34-year-old’s ability to emulate such performances during the business end of the season, when his team will need him more than ever before.

“Y’all are sitting up there raving about him like Kawhi, Kawhi, Kawhi,” Smith told the other panelists on his show. “You know where I’m going. The playoff’s in April. Am I gonna see him then? See, I don’t want to see this now. And then April comes, and your a-s is nowhere to be found. That’s why I’m telling you to stop raving.”

Kawhi Leonard’s availability has been a major issue in recent times. The forward was remarkably durable during the early years of his career with the San Antonio Spurs. However, ever since suffering the right quad injury during the 2017-18 season, things have gone downhill for him. He’s missed significant portions in four of his last seven playoff runs. That’s why Smith further emphasized for him to show up when it matters.

“You owe the Clippers. You owe the NBA, considering how much you got paid, and how much this brother’s been absent,” he further ranted. “I will repeat it for the last time. This brother can give notes on time off, getting paid. He needs to do a master class on that. Cause I’ve never seen anybody who does it. This brother gets paid for not being at work.”

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Although Stephen A. Smith further went on to give Leonard his flowers for making the All-Star Game competition, he does have a fair point. The Klaw needs to step up for the Clippers, especially with James Harden and Ivica Zubac out of the picture. And thus far, he’s looked amazing. The veteran star has been leading the charge for LA, averaging 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.

Thanks to his terrific form, his team currently sits 10th in the Western Conference despite an abysmal start to the campaign. While they still have a long way to go for cementing their spot in this season’s playoffs, if they do, it will be because of Kawhi Leonard. Hopefully, they do, as Kawhi Leonard has made a massive statement regarding his status within the NBA.

Kawhi Leonard feels like he’s one of the best after his electric All-Star performance

Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard has never been the one to chase social media approval or rankings. He usually lets his game do the talking. However, last night, after his terrific performance during the All-Star Game, the veteran spoke loudly. He did not shy away from telling everyone where he views himself amongst the other superstars.

“It’s for you guys,” Leonard said about the NBA rankings. “For me, I think it’s a rotation of every day, every week, because you get guys coming out scoring 50, having great defensive games. And then the next night, if somebody’s not playing well, somebody else is going to shine. So, for me, I think the ranking is just based on keeping the hype around the game.”

“But yeah, I feel like I’m one of the best when I am playing basketball,” he concluded. It was the first time in a long while that the Clippers forward looked so confident. And it wasn’t just talk. Leonard’s statement was backed up by his production during the All-Star event. In fact, his production wasn’t limited to just the offensive end; Kawhi also showed defensive intensity throughout the tournament.

That’s a great sign for the Clippers, who will rely on him more than ever before once the season resumes. More so, with their new signing Darius Garland yet to make his debut for the team, as he shows no signs of a possible return soon. Nonetheless, if the All-Star performance was an indication of what’s to come, there’s no doubt Leonard will be able to handle everything smoothly.