Kawhi Leonard Fantasy News and Statistics

With all of the great players the San Antonio Spurs have had during Gregg Popovich’s tenure, no player’s ascension to superstardom is more surprising than that of Kawhi Leonard. David Robinson and Tim Duncan were first overall picks, while Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili were pros before joining the NBA. But Leonard went from a mid-major who couldn’t even crack the NBA lottery to becoming the best two-way player in the NBA.

Born in Los Angeles, Leonard was just 16 years old when his father was shot and killed at a car wash. Leonard used basketball as a way to take his mind off his father’s murder, which remains unsolved. He excelled at two different high schools and was California Mr. Basketball as a senior in 2009. But unlike most of the other winners of that award who went to big programs like UCLA or Arizona, Leonard became the first winner of the award to enroll at San Diego State. At SDSU he was a two-way force, leading the Mountain West Conference in rebounds in both of his seasons there before declaring for the NBA Draft.

The Spurs were in desperate need for some size on the perimeter, so they traded Popovich favorite George Hill to the Indiana Pacers for Leonard’s draft rights. As the No. 15 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, much wasn’t expected of Leonard as a rookie. But he ended up starting 39 games for the team in the lockout-shortened season. He joined Duncan and Parker as the only Spurs rookies to start 30-plus games in Popovich’s 21 years as head coach. The following year Leonard became a full-time starter and helped lead the Spurs to the NBA Finals, where they fell to the Miami Heat in seven games.

The Spurs would get their revenge the next year, and Leonard would receive recognition for his stellar play. He played a big part in ending the Big 3 era of the Heat, as he put the clamps on LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in the 2014 NBA Finals. He was named the Finals MVP and at just 22 years old became the second-youngest to win the award, trailing only Magic Johnson.

In the 2014-15 season there was a shift in philosophy among the Spurs, as Leonard became the focal point of the offense. For the first time in 16 years, someone other than Duncan, Parker or Ginobili led the team in scoring. But Leonard didn’t forget about his defensive responsibilities. The NBA also didn’t forget about Leonard’s play at that end of the court, as he won the Defensive Player of the Year award, which is rare for a perimeter player. Leonard joined Dennis Rodman and Ron Artest as the only small forwards to ever win the award. He would repeat in winning the award the following season and also claimed his first All-NBA first-team honor.

Duncan retired in the 2016 offseason, and the Spurs officially became Leonard’s team. He didn’t let San Antonio down, as he stepped up and became one of the league’s best offensive players while remaining the league’s best perimeter defender. His scoring average increased for the fifth straight season, as Popovich revamped his offense to allow for more isolation plays for Leonard. His scoring average even increased in the postseason, but it came to an untimely end when Leonard suffered an ankle injury in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. The Spurs were then swept by the Warriors.

After back-to-back top-three finishes in the MVP race, there is only one individual award that Leonard has yet to win. As San Antonio’s stars continue to age, even more will be asked of Leonard on the offensive end, and he’s proved that he can handle an increased load. Popovich isn’t even sure about just how good Leonard can become, and that should be a scary thought for the rest of the NBA.