5. Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
Last Rank: No. 5
Position: Small Forward
Age: 24
Slash Line: .506/.480/.878
Season Averages: 32.4 MPG, 20.2 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 1.8 3PM
Never before has a 3.5-game deficit in the standings been so daunting. That’s the uphill battle that the San Antonio Spurs are attempting to endure, as the Golden State Warriors sit an attainable, but seemingly impossible, 3.5 games ahead in the standings.
Should the Spurs close the gap and secure the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and thus, the NBA, Kawhi Leonard would have a compelling case for MVP.
A calf injury kept Leonard sidelined for the Spurs’ first three games after the 2016 NBA All-Star Break. He posted 18 points, eight rebounds, four steals, and a block in his return, but that isn’t why he’s been the No. 5 player in the Association.
Along with being the most dominant defensive force in the NBA, Leonard is now the centerpiece of the Spurs’ vaunted motion offense.
Leonard has been the catalyst on defense, as everyone knows, which makes the Spurs’ distant No. 1 ranking in defensive efficiency so impressive. He’s also the focal point of San Antonio’s offense, which ranks No. 3 in the NBA in points per 100 possessions.
In terms of a two-way impact, very few players compare to what Leonard has done in 2015-16.
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