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NBA: 5 Players That Deserve First All-Star Appearance

By Joshua Howe

Nov 15, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) drives past Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) in the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 15, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) drives past Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) in the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 25, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) reacts after a shot against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 25, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) reacts after a shot against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Kawhi Leonard

While everyone is focused on the Warriors, the Spurs are doing what they do best: quietly racking up wins and getting better with each passing game. They have an 18-5 record, good enough for second in the West. They’re top 10 in both offensive rating (fifth) and defensive rating (first), thanks in no small part to the efforts of Kawhi Leonard.

It’s pretty difficult to believe that the guy who won a Finals MVP back in 2014 still hasn’t made an All-Star game. That needs to be reconciled this season.

It’s not like he hasn’t earned it either. This is about more than just feeling guilty for snubbing him in previous seasons. His averages look like this right now:

  • 21.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 50.3 FG%, 50.0 3P%, 85.1 FT%, 33.8 MPG

The most shocking and impressive thing that Kawhi has done this year has to be his improved shooting. This is a guy who couldn’t shoot very well coming into the NBA. That was his big flaw. He was always praised as a strong defender, but his offense needed work.

Now his 50.0 percent shooting from deep leads the league. That’s right, it’s a better percentage than Curry (46.3 percent; special case with him, though), Klay Thompson (44.2 percent) or Kevin Durant (45.7 percent) have shot. And it’s not like he’s barely shooting, either. He’s jacking up four triples a game.

Last season Kawhi shot 34.9 percent from downtown, which was a career-low. That’s a massive jump. In fact, his numbers are all significantly better than last season’s. Another noteworthy stat to point to is his scoring, which was at 16.5 points per game last season.

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There are only four players in the league who have a true shooting percentage of 60.0 or better and average at least 20 points. Leonard ranks third in that group, with the only two players ahead of him being Durant (66.2 TS%; 27.9 PPG) and Curry (70.0 TS%; 32.2 PPG).

Leonard also has the sixth-highest PER this season (26.2), stacking him up with the likes of Curry (34.7), Durant (30.3), Russell Westbrook (31.4), LeBron James (26.9) and Paul George (26.4).

It’s clear that Kawhi has entered an elite class of players and he is probably the best two-way performer in the game. How can you deny a guy whose team is crushing it, who has increased his production and who has never donned an All-Star jersey before?

Answer: You can’t.

Next: Kemba