People can achieve in the NBA for a variety of reasons. In addition to talent and hard attitude, raw athleticism plays a significant role in success.
Not simply a player’s speed or strength, but also how they are made, is important. That explains why so many famous people have big hands.
I have been a fan of basketball for more than 25 years, both as a fan and as a player. I’ve spent years covering the game, so I know a lot about it.
Such knowledge allowed me to organise the material that is divided up throughout the rest of the book.I’ll examine Kawhi Leonard’s hands down below.
That will not only serve to explain one of the many reasons for his brilliance, but it will also provide insight into other players to show how much certain physical characteristics contribute in the NBA.
Are Kawhi Leonard Hands That Big?
We need to answer the main query in this topic, which is: How big are Kawhi’s hands? before moving on to a discussion of hand size.
The answer is a huge yes. The superstar’s enormous paws are a stunning 11.25 inches broad and 9.75 inches long (from base to finger tip).
Most NBA players at his position have hands that are 8.8 to 9 inches long, so that should give you an idea of how enormous that is (with some extremely special cases measuring 9.5).
Lebron’s and Kobe’s hands are both barely 9 inches long.Kawhi’s hand length of 9.75 puts him in a class of his own when it comes to gripping the basketball as he steps up for a layup or dunk.
Additionally, it makes rebounding and stealing a little bit simpler.
Where’s Kawhi Compared to the League?
It is one thing to be aware of Kawhi’s very huge hands; it is quite another to compare them to the NBA as a whole.
The shooting guard is 6 7 inches tall. The average hand size for players that height in the rest of the league is 8.7 inches long and 9.5 inches broad.
Comparing it to Leonard demonstrates how much larger his hands are than those of any other opponent he faces.
When comparing the gap to the average point guard hand size (8.4 by 8.9 inches), the difference is even more striking.
Even centres’ typical hands, which measure 9.7 by 10.3 inches, are close to Kawhi’s. That’s really absurd and demonstrates how unique he is in comparison to other NBA players.
He really possesses the seventh biggest hands in NBA history. Only Julius Erving (9.5″, 11.75″) and Michael Jordan (9.75″, 11.375″) are above him on the list of outside guards or wings.
Just by that places him in an exclusive group.
How Much Does Hand Size Matter?
Kawhi is without a doubt a unique player. How much of his CV, though, is directly related to hand size? The answer to that intriguing query requires a bit more background information.
Without his big hands, Kawhi obviously would not be the same player. They provide him better control while passing as well as making it simpler to palm the basketball (and dunk).
He also has an unmatched ability to steal and block on defence because to his huge hands.However, larger mitts might not be as advantageous as many might initially think.
Although they are beneficial on the court, grip power is more crucial.The fingertips are more often used for shooting and ball control than the palm.
As a result, hand strength is more important than anything else for being able to correctly grasp the ball whether travelling through the lane or trying for a pass.
The defensive end of the court is the only area where bigger hands are useful.
Excellent stealers (like Kawhi) have a higher chance of sticking their hand into the lane and knocking the shot away whereas great blockers (like Kawhi) need more surface area to deflect shots away from the basket.
In actuality, John Stockton, who holds the record for most thefts, has very big hands. He was just six and a half feet tall, but his hands were nine inches long. He was able to steal from several others as a result.
FAQs
These related queries may be of interest to you. I’ll respond to them succinctly below.
Who Has the Biggest Hands in the NBA?
Boban Marjanovic possesses the biggest hands in the NBA and is a towering 7’4″ tall. In actuality, his hands are the biggest ever measured in NBA history, measuring 10.75″ by 12″ in size.
How Big are Lebron’s Hands?
Although enormous, Lebron James’ hands are not too massive. The NBA legend’s hands are 9 by 9.25 inches in size.
Who has the Smallest Hands in Today’s NBA?
Nobody has smaller hands than T.J. McConnell in relation to his height. The hands of the Pacers guard measure 7.5″ by 7″. That is much below the norm for athletes his height (6’1″)
Final Words
Basketball players’ hand sizes obviously important. It might not matter as much as you might think, though.
There are numerous great players (like Stephen Curry) who have ordinary or tiny hands, despite the fact that many superstars have bigger hands for their size.
Having saying that, Kawhi’s hands have contributed to his becoming into the player he is now. He is a powerhouse on defence as well as one of the league’s top dunkers.
The fact that he could palm the ball may not have been the only factor in his success, but it undoubtedly contributed to it.