Stephen A. Smith tips Clippers to make NBA Finals with Kawhi Leonard in sublime form without Paul George

Kawhi Leonard has been one of the NBA's top postseason performers when healthy throughout his career. However, his tenure with the Los Angeles Clippers has been marred by a littany of injuries that have kept him from contributing in the postseason. However, his health and a hot start to the playoffs has one NBA analyst saying that Leonard and the Clippers could get to the NBA Finals.

Kawhi Leonard established himself as a playoff riser all the way back in 2014 where he guarded Lebron James as well as anyone in the NBA en route to his first championship. He slowly climbed the ranks in the NBA until he was considered one of the league's best players, showcasing his talent in a legendary playoff run in 2019. Now, he looks ready to lead another team deep into the postseason.

On Thursday's episode of First Take, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith spoke about how impressed he was with Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers. He went as far as to say that if the two time NBA champion can stay on the court for Los Angeles, they have a shot of representing the Western Conference in the NBA Finals.

"You actually look at the Clippers without Paul George and if Kawhi Leonard continues to look the way that he looked in Game 2..." said Smith about the superstar. "If that brother shows up throughout these playoffs looking like that, Clippers could go to the Finals."

Smith joins many NBA analysts who have been impressed by the Clippers so far this season. The team, which moved on from former All-Star Paul George this offseason, has overperformed expectations and poses a great challenge to whoever they face in the postseason if they can get past the Denver Nuggets.

How likely is a Finals run for Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers?

While they have been receiving a lot of praise, the Clippers have their hands full with the Denver Nuggets in the first round. Kawhi Leonard led his team to a win in Game 2, but Los Angeles needs to take full advantage of the next two games of the series at home at the Intuit Dome.

If the Clippers move past the Denver Nuggets in the first round, they will likely have a date against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have been the best team in the conference all year. However, the Clippers are better suited to take the Thunder on than anyone else thanks to the defense ability of Kawhi Leonard and Co.

Championship aspirations this early might be bold, but Leonard playing at an All-NBA level in the postseason is as scary an opponent as anything in the NBA.