The old saying “game recognizes game” held true after Wednesday night’s game between the Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Kawhi Leonard’s Clippers got the better of Anthony Edwards and the visiting Timberwolves to the tune of 153-128. Despite being disappointed in the loss, Edwards still took the time to express his respect for his elder.
Anthony Edwards knows what Kawhi Leonard can do when healthy
“Kawhi (Leonard) may be one of the best players to ever play the game when he’s healthy…a lot of his peers feel the same way,” Edwards said while talking about the game with reporters.
Edwards then went even further, saying “if he’s healthy, 100%, there ain’t no stopping Kawhi (Leonard).”
And Edwards appears right on the money based on the way Leonard has been playing throughout the 2025-26 season. Leonard went wild against the Timberwolves, putting up 45 points in 32 minutes. He shot an incredibly efficient 75 percent from the field, connecting on 15-of-20 and 6-of-9 from three.
Add in a 90 percent night from the free-throw line with five rebounds and five assists and Edwards saying Leonard was on top of his game would be an understatement.
Kawhi Leonard is enjoying his best season in years
But that’s also how Leonard has been playing for months. He’s exceeded 20 points in every game he’s played dating back to Nov. 25. More recently, Leonard has reached 30 points twice in the month of March and four times since Feb. 20, doing it all with a plus 50 percent shooting clip in every game except for one during that timespan.
Leonard is now averaging 28.3 points, 6.4 boards and 3.8 assists with a 50.3 percent field goal in 51 games so far this season. Most importantly, as Edwards alluded to, he’s already surpassed his games total from 2024-25 (37).
Leonard, who would likely be in the MVP conversation if the Clippers were higher up in the standings, is on pace to play his most games since appearing in 68 in 2023-24 and to get to 60 for only the third time in the past seven years, a stretch that began when his 60 games were enough to lead the Toronto Raptors to their first NBA championship. It then took him four more years to play 60 games again after signing with the Clippers soon after wrapping up Toronto’s title run in the summer of 2019.
Kawhi Leonard is destined for the Hall of Fame
All in all, Leonard is likely heading to the Basketball Hall of Fame, especially when you factor in, as Edwards did, his ability to impact both ends of the floor as one of the best two-way players in league history.
Resume wise, Leonard is a seven-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA First Team selection, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, two-time champion (2014, 2019) and two-time Finals MVP.
However, injuries and accusations of load management, have cost him some of the respect most legends of the game usual garner from the outside.
But no matter how fans and media may view Leonard, it’s clear his peers have never wavered on their appreciation for the 14-year NBA veteran’s game.
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