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NBA Awards Watch: James Harden vs. Stephen Curry For MVP

By Gerald Bourguet

Dec 6, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden (13) drives the ball on a fast break during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 6, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden (13) drives the ball on a fast break during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 31, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (2) dunks the ball as Miami Heat guard Tyler Johnson (8) looks on during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

10. Kawhi Leonard

56 games, 32.1 MPG, 16.2 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.6 APG, 2.3 SPG, .468/.329/.788 shooting, 21.1 PER

Last week: N/A

At this point in the season, our top nine players in these rankings have been around for awhile and only a season-ending injury would bump them out of it. Our 10th spot can change on a weekly basis, and with last week’s No. 10 — Lillard — playing all over the place, Kawhi not give Leonard some credit here?

The Spurs are 39-17 with Leonard in the lineup and 9-9 without him this season. They started to turn their season around once Leonard got fully healthy and although his numbers don’t jump off the page, are they really that far off from what Marc Gasol is putting up on a nightly basis?

SPOILER ALERT: Kawhi Leonard is not going to win the MVP. He’s probably not even going to be mentioned in the MVP conversation anywhere other than here. But as the Spurs continue to climb up the standings, don’t forget which player probably has the most to do with that.

Next: No. 9 - Boogie