LA Clippers: Kawhi Leonard quietly putting together MVP caliber season

Kawhi Leonard has nonchalantly been having an MVP type season for the LA Clippers. Putting up career-best numbers, he has been extraordinary.

Reigning NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard has been picking up right where he left off last season, putting up some career-best numbers for the LA Clippers. The 28-year-old has elevated this team from a first-round playoff exit last season to immediate title contenders, if not the favorites.

On the season, Leonard is averaging a career-high 27.0 points per game, just above his 26.6 mark from last season. Shooting 46.4 percent from the field, the forward has seen a decrease in shooting percentage in recent years but continues to get the job done.

Leonard has seen a decrease in his 3-point percentage, only connecting on 36.5 percent of his shots from deep. This number would be his lowest percent from behind the arc — across a full season — since the 2014-15 NBA season, where he shot 34.9 percent.

Regardless, Leonard has proven he is a lethal threat on the offensive end with his 27.0 points per game, currently ranking eighth in the league.

Aside from scoring, Leonard has been achieving career feats elsewhere on the court as well to improve his play. Grabbing a career-high 7.5 rebounds per game and dishing 5.2 assists per game, Kawhi has been improving his game in all of the significant aspects.

Leading the Clippers to a 40-19 record, a tie for second place with the Denver Nuggets, Lenoard has had a sensational first season with the team thus far. Only time will tell how far Kawhi can take this team, but right now, their odds are looking stellar when it comes to championship aspirations.

So, with everything the two-time Finals MVP has been doing this season, why has he not been in consideration for his first MVP award?

The biggest knock to Leonard’s MVP case is the number of games he has sat out this season and the load management narrative surrounding him. Although he has played in 46 of the team’s 59 games, those 13 missed games have proved costly.

Although the LA Clippers are tied for the second seed in the loaded Western Conference, Leonard’s current MVP competitors are playing for the top seeds in each respective conference. All of the spotlights have been on Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James this season for what their respective teams have been accomplishing.

Reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the frontrunner for most of this season, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a league-best 51-8 record. The 25-year-old has only missed six games in this span and has improved from his stellar previous season in several major categories.

Next to him is LeBron James, who has rejuvenated the LA Lakers at age 35. The four-time MVP winner has only missed a remarkable three games this season, which has only bolstered his case for the award.

Yet, the regular season is far from over with 23 games to go until the postseason begins, and anything can happen in that span of games. Leonard could tighten the MVP gap within this time, but that is up in the air right now.

Regardless, whether Leonard walks away with the Most Valuable Player award or not, he has his eyes set on something much bigger. This Kawhi Leonard led Clippers team has never had higher championship qualifications, and if anyone is going to deliver for them, it is him.

Leonard’s season has been phenomenal across the board, and a championship to cap it off would be the ultimate exclamation point, MVP trophy or not.