The Tape
Was Kawhi Leonard better than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?
Kawhi Leonard, 2011-present, against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 2018-present. The numbers levelled to one league, then the call.
Method, stated plainly: scoring is adjusted to a league averaging 114 points per team per game. Rebounds and assists are printed as they were recorded, with the league scoring rate beside them, because a rebound in 1962 came out of a different number of missed shots and we will not pretend one multiplier fixes that. Career lines for active players run through 2024-25.
What the numbers say
Adjusted to a league averaging 114 points a game, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the bigger scorer: 32.9 a game in 2024-25 against 27.5 for Kawhi Leonard in 2016-17. That is a real gap of 5.4 points, not an era illusion — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's league averaged 113.4 and Kawhi Leonard's averaged 105.6.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the passer: 6.4 assists a game to 3.5, and that is the difference between running an offense and finishing one.
Kawhi Leonard: Two Finals MVPs with 2 franchises, built on footwork and hands rather than speed. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: An MVP and a title in the same season, built on the most efficient mid-range diet since the rules changed.
The numbers are free. The verdict is in the Vault.
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