Before Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Pippen Was Among NBA's First Solid Two-Way Players

Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers superstar forwards Scottie Pippen and Kawhi Leonard dominated the two-way playstyle in their primes

Scottie Pippen is viewed as the second-hand man to Michael Jordan, however, his defensive ability is similar to that of Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard.

During his career, Pippen averaged 2.0 steals and 0.8 blocks while Leonard has averaged 1.7 steals and 0.6 blocks. Leonard is regarded as the better scorer, but Pippen’s playmaking abilities trump those of Leonard.

Not to mention, he spent the majority of his career alongside arguably the greatest player of all-time, Michael Jordan. Had he been the number one option, we may have seen more volume scoring.

These superstars were regarded as the best perimeter defenders in the NBA at their peaks. Pippen’s skillset shined the brightest in 1994 while Jordan was out of the league. Most players during the 1980's and 90's were not known for their defensive abilities.

Leonard has seven All-Defensive Team selections and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016. On the other hand, Pippen was selected for ten All-Defensive teams.

The dominance Pippen showed on the defensive side paved the way for players like Leonard to impact the game on both ends of the court.

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Anthony Pasciolla is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on Instagram @anthonypasci