The 50 greatest NBA players of the 2020s (so far), ranked

21) Kawhi Leonard

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard makes an earlier appearance on this countdown than most might have expected, but that is due to his comparatively less impressive 2020s. In the 2010s, Leonard won two championships, two NBA Finals MVP awards, two Defensive Player of the Year awards and made four all-star teams in nine seasons.

However, in the first five years of the 2020s, Leonard has made just three all-star teams and won no championships or major awards. It wasn't for a lack of production, with Leonard averaging 23.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.5 assists for the Clippers. Despite that, he missed 153 out of a possible 355 games during the regular season, an entire postseason, and all but one game of another playoff run.

That prevented the Clippers from winning a championship with Leonard and Paul George and Leonard may struggle to stay as high on this list at the end of the second half of the decade. After all, he is on the wrong side of 30 and has missed significant time over his career. That might limit his ability to age gracefully, though he may still be able to put up two or three statistically strong seasons to close out the 2020s.