San Antonio Spurs: Top 10 NBA Draft picks in franchise history

2. Kawhi Leonard (SF) — No. 15 pick in 2011 NBA Draft

Career stats (with the Spurs):  398 GP, 16.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.3 APG,1.8 SPG, 49.5 FG%, 38.8 3P%, 84.7 FT% 

To some, it might be a bit of a shock to see Kawhi Leonard so high on this list. After all, he’s only been with the Spurs for six seasons, been to just two All-Star games and averaged over 20 points per game in a season twice. But in that same stretch, he has also been a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and a Finals MVP.

Before even looking at him on the court, part of why Leonard is so high is how he got here. Remember, this is a “top 10 draft picks” list, not “top 10 players list.” Slightly different.

Should Leonard continue on the track he is on, he has the potential to be a multi-time champion, scoring leader, MVP and Hall-of-Famer. Not only did the Spurs get him with the 15th pick in the draft, they traded George Hill to get him. No offense to Hill, as he made this list, but c’mon. George Hill.

Next, of course, is the almost tired conversation about how Leonard has improved so much every year. But we have to talk about it to look ahead to where he could end up. Leonard went from a non-shooter to 40 percent three-point guy who makes two per game. He went from not really being able to dribble to initiating the San Antonio Spurs’ offense. If his trajectory holds, there’s no reason Leonard can’t be a 25-point, eight-rebound, seven-assist, two-steals per game guy.

Hitting rewind and looking at Leonard’s rookie year, he averaged 7.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 64 contests of the 66-game lockout season (39 starts) and made the All-Rookie First Team. In the playoffs, he started all 14 games and averaged 8.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per contest.

There was a slight uptick in his numbers in his second season (11.9 points, 6.0 rebounds), but it was his three-point shooting that showed the most improvement. In his rookie year he made 0.6 threes per game on 1.7 attempts for 37.6 percent, but by year two he was making 1.1 out of 3.0 attempts per game and keeping his average steady at 37.4 percent. Showing a willingness to take the shot, and hit them effectively, spelled trouble for the rest of the league.

Over the next two regular seasons, we continued to see an increase in numbers as he averaged 14.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Defensively he was becoming a monster, averaging 2.3 steals per game in 2014-15 on his way to his first Defensive Player of the Year award. For all his regular season success, it was his postseason run in these two years that showcased his true star potential.

In 2013-14, his third playoff appearance, Kawhi played to his averages through the first three rounds. But in the Finals, he stuffed the stat sheet with 17.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game, making 11-of-19 threes across the five games on his way to Finals MVP honors. Leonard followed up this postseason performance by averaging 20.3 point per game the next year, establishing himself as the team’s go-to scorer.

The scoring trend has continued for Leonard in these last two seasons, averaging 23.4 points per game. In this time he’s gotten his first two All-Star nods, as well as All-NBA First Team selections and a second Defensive Player of the Year Award. This year he is a finalist for both the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Awards. Winning those would make him just the third person to win both awards in one season, and just the second to win DPOY for three consecutive years.

In just his short time with the San Antonio Spurs, Kawhi Leonard has already racked up multiple individual awards and helped lead the team to a championship. Part of placing him No. 2 on this list comes from what he’s done and how he’s gotten here, but also based on what to expect from him in the future.

If Leonard walked away from the game today, he may not go above Robinson, Parker or Ginobili on this list, but he’d still be on it. However, if the 25-year-old can stick around for another 10 years or so, there’s no reason to believe he won’t add to his resume and validate this spot as one of the best Spurs in team history.