Gallery: 4/5
Kawhi Leonard
Why He Should Win MVP: He's the ultimate two-way player. Offensively, he's averaging 25.7 points per game with a true-shooting percentage of 61.2. He has a reputation for being a product of Gregg Popovich's system, but he has a usage rate of 28.1 (eighth-highest in the NBA) for a team that is seventh in the NBA in offensive efficiency. In other words, he's the clear go-to option on one of the league's best offenses.
Defensively, he's arguably the league's best perimeter defender. Take this amazing stat, per ESPN's Tom Haberstroh, for example: In clutch situations (fourth quarter or OT, less than five minutes left, and neither team ahead by more than five points), LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Paul George are a combined 7-of-27 (25.9 percent) from the field with a negative-37 plus/minus vs. the Spurs, and a majority of the time, they were being guarded by Kawhi.
Why He Might Not Win MVP: Well, it seems to be the year of the triple-double, and he's the only one of these four candidates who hasn't racked up a ton of them. In fact, he hasn't had a single one, and his secondary stats (5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists) are certainly lacking relative to the others. Moreover, while his offense has been tremendous, his strongest case over the likes of Westbrook and Harden is his defense, but that is ultimately the most difficult aspect of the game to quantify. That will really hurt when it comes to some voters. (Getty)
Comments
NBA MVP Race 2017: Breaking Down the Top Candidates