Is Kawhi The NBA’s Best Player?

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3) Scoring/Skill Set:

• Kawhi Leonard has always been known for his defense but his offensive game has improved so much over the last two seasons. And it isn’t just the 36 ppg he is now averaging early in the playoffs but its the efficiency that is having (blazing 71%) and the way he is scoring. He scores in the mid-range, the long range, the post, and drives dynamically to the basket. His offense repertoire is more sophisticated than LeBrons but he slowly becoming as good of an offensive player as Kevin Durant--which insane to think about but his numbers are growing in their potency.

2) Ball Handling:

• This is the aspect of Leonard's game that has been a bit of surprising but he has definitely had the Memphis Grizzlies’ perimeter players on skates all night long. He displayed an uncanny ability to get to the basket not just with athleticism but with several cross-over dribble moves. This improved ball handling has helped him squeeze into the paint and get to the free-throw line, shooting a perfect 28-28 from the line for the series so far.

1)Defense:

• There is no other perimeter player in the league today that comes close to Leonard's defensive prowess. He has won the Defensive Player of the Year for two years straight and he can easily make history with a third. In a league that strives off of perimeter offense having a player like Leonard is invaluable, because of him the Spurs are the number one defensive team (not Golden State) in the league. He is doing this while expending so much energy offensively.

• Bottomline, he doesn’t just play one end of the floor like a James Harden. He doesn’t take wild shots like Russell Westbrook. He doesn’t shooting 68% from the free throw line like LeBron. Sure there are things those players do better but a lot significantly better. Leonard is best all-around player in the league--the swiss army knife of the league--Doesn’t that make him the best player? I think it does...