Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA Awards Watch: Full Midseason Awards

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 5, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) is defended by Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 5, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) is defended by Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 7
Next
NBA
Jan 14, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers small forward LeBron James (23) is defended by San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /

Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard

Honorable Mentions: Draymond Green, Rudy Gobert

It’s a pity Draymond Green got robbed in this category last year — despite earning more first place votes — because Kawhi Leonard is most certainly going to run away with his second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year Award this year. This season he’s definitely the most deserving candidate, and at age 24, good luck prying that award away from the iron grip of the Claw for the foreseeable future as well.

Last year, Green was the most versatile defender on the league’s stingiest defense. This year, the Spurs are far and away the NBA’s premier defense, holding opponents to an unbelievable 93.3 points per 100 possessions. That’s not only the best mark in the association, but it’s also a full 5.2 points per 100 possessions better than the second best defense, the Boston Celtics.

Credit should be shared all around: from Pop’s coaching to Tim Duncan’s everlasting presence in the middle to LaMarcus Aldridge’s increased effort on that end to Danny Green‘s underrated wing defense, this defense has very few weak links. But ask Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Paul George or any of the other elite scorers who have visited Kawhisland, never to return, about how unbelievable a defender this guy is.

Leonard leads the league in defensive win shares and he’s holding opponents to 38.2 percent shooting — 6.0 percent worse than they’d normally shoot on such shots.

KD (22 points, 6-for-19 shooting), Melo (19 points, 4-for-17 shooting) and PG-13 (seven points, 1-for-14 shooting) are just some of the biggest names who have been smothered by Leonard’s glove-sized mitts. Green might be the league’s most versatile defender, and Rudy Gobert might be the most important defender for his respective team, but Leonard wins this category by a landslide.

Next: Sixth Man Of The Year