Two of the best players to ever play the game, Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Pippen are a lot more alike than we could ever have imagined. The similarities begin with their body types, carry over into their offensive play and conclude on the defensive end of the court. But while Pippen’s legacy is a finished product, Leonard’s is just beginning.

We all need to realize one thing: Both these players are Hall-of-Fame caliber, but one reigns supreme.

Pippen, the legendary Chicago Bulls forward, is known as one of the best sidekicks in NBA history. To those who truly know basketball, though, he was much more than that. This dude was a seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA player, six-time NBA Champion and 10-time All-Defensive player. It doesn’t get much better than that.

In many ways, he was the ’90s version of LeBron James. He could do a little bit of everything and didn’t have any glaring weaknesses. He was the best defender and passer on those championship teams in Chicago and could hold his own in the scoring department, as well. To his credit, the Bulls weren’t legitimate title contenders until Pippen brought his game to new heights in his fourth season, proving to be the missing ingredient in the championship pie.

And let’s not forget the year Michael Jordan was suspended retired (1993-94). The Bulls still finished 55-27 with Pippen leading the way. Per 100 possessions, he averaged 30.0 points, 11.9 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 4.0 steals and 1.1 blocks. Oh, and he finished third in the MVP race, trailing only Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson. What a stud.

Offensively, Pippen is one of the most underrated players to ever play the game. For most of his career, he was cast under Jordan’s enormous shadow and was rarely given time to shine his own light. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate him for who he was.

Pippen didn’t have the ball in his hands on every possession and finished his career with a 22.5 usage rate (although it rose to 24.6 percent during the eight-year span in which Chicago won six championships). To give you some context, here’s how some notable players stacked up in usage rate during 2016-17: Russell Westbrook (40.8), LeBron James (29.7), Chris Paul (24.3), Jamal Crawford (22.5) and Nicolas Batum (22.1). This tells us Pippen was definitely used as a secondary weapon throughout his Bulls tenure.

As a scorer, Pippen was pretty efficient, finishing with a true shooting percentage of 53.6 percent. His best seasons actually came around the time of Jordan’s retirement, and he posted his career high (55.9 percent) the very next year. But scoring was probably the weakest part of his game, which is saying something.

He excelled creating shot opportunities for his teammates, finishing his career averaging 7.8 assists per 100 possessions and with a 23.1 assist percentage—right up there with Blake Griffin, Jimmy Butler and Kevin Durant’s most recent efforts.

Rebounding was another strength of his game. At 6’8″, he knew how to use his body and positioning to clean the glass at a high rate. Pippen corralled 10.6 percent of the available rebounds while he was on the floor, and his career high came in—you guessed it—1993-94, when he hauled in 13.3 percent of all possible boards. Early in his career, he relied more heavily on offensive rebounding to get his buckets, which isn’t a bad way to go and highlights the motor with which he played.

That motor also helped Pippen on the defensive end, where he was an absolute monster. Even with Jordan on his team, Pippen would routinely match up with the other team’s best wing scorer, and this often spelled trouble for the opposition. He combined length, lateral quickness, physicality and quick hands to create the nightmare that kept offensive players up the night before. He could also guard multiple positions, meaning no one was safe from his reign. Pippen finished his career averaging 2.9 steals per 100 possessions—a jarring number for a career average that trails only 20 players in NBA history. The season Jordan was gone, he averaged a career-high 4.0 steals per 100 possessions.

When you combine all the traits and assets Pippen brought to the floor, it’s easy to see why he’s known as one of the greatest ever. However, there’s already another player with a similar skill set who’s surpassing his talent.

Kawhi Leonard vs. Scottie Pippen

Leonard is just about to enter the prime of what’s turning out to be a very impressive career. He’s already established himself as a defensive stud and has really come into his own offensively the last couple of years. He had the luxury of playing alongside all-time greats, but make no mistake about it: This is his Spurs team now.

Head coach Gregg Popovich has positioned Leonard as the sun to the organization’s planets.

Already, the modern-day star has racked up two All-Star berths, two Defensive Player of the Year awards, four All-Defense selections and two All-NBA honors. He’s also sure to continue piling up awards like toppings on a Five Guys burger.

Leonard’s career usage rate sits at 22.4 percent, which is almost identical to Pippen’s 22.5, but that number is sure to rise as the years go on. It’s trended up every season of his career, coming to a peak in 2016-17 when he registered 31.1 percent. Usage alone helps us understand the small forward’s role, starting last season and moving forward, will be very different than that of his ’90s counterpart.

And along with Leonard’s increased scoring stats, this immediately serves as a good illustration of why Leonard is already better than Pippen ever was.

Even given the elevated usage rate, his shooting efficiency has been praiseworthy. Very rarely do you see a player’s usage and true shooting percentage raise simultaneously, but Leonard finished last season with a true shooting percentage of 61 percent. Even though this isn’t his career high, it’s better than any season on Pippen’s resume. His sky-high basketball I.Q. allows him to position himself for smart shots, and he can score from all three levels on the floor, making him one of the league’s most dangerous offensive weapons.

While Leonard isn’t nearly the playmaker Pippen was, he’s quickly learning how to find open teammates when the defense collapses and gives him added attention. His assist percentage jumped like a kangaroo this past season, increasing nearly six percentage points to 18.9 percent while he also averaged a career-high 5.4 dimes per 100 possessions.

However, rebounding is another area where Leonard trumps his predecessor—if only barely.

Leonard’s total rebounding percentage sits at 11.6 percent for his career. However, he’s coming off his worst year, in which he only grabbed 9.8 percent of the available boards. Part of the reason behind the decline is the increasing fullness of Leonard’s plate. He’s asked to guard the opposing team’s best defensive player and function as the go-to scorer on a nightly basis. Eventually, that number should rise back up to around 12 percent when he’s more accustomed to filling such an all-around role.

Finally, we come to defense.

Even though locking down was Pippen’s forte, it also happens to be where Leonard makes his money. Before his offensive game came around, he made a name for himself based on his defensive prowess. At 6’7″ with a 7’3″ wingspan, Leonard constantly harasses opposing players. He possesses the same type of traits Pippen did—the quick hands, length, lateral quickness and physicality—meaning nobody is safe. So far in his career, Leonard is averaging 3.0 steals per 100 possessions, just a hair better than the old Chicago standout. Thus far, it’s a wash on the defensive end.

Overall, Leonard is well on his way to becoming one of the greatest players ever, and if he maintains his current pace, he will undoubtedly surpass Pippen, who’s already one of those all-time greats. Call it recency bias. Call it naiveté. Call it whatever you want.

I call it “The Claw.”

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Unless otherwise indicated, all stats are from NBA Math, Basketball Reference or NBA.com.