Most Valuable Player
Honorable Mentions: LeBron James (7) and Isaiah Thomas (7)
3rd Place
Kawhi Leonard (44)
| Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FG% | TS% |
| 33.7 | 26 | 5.9 | 3.5 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 48.6% | 61.3% |
Leonard’s argument for MVP is almost identical to his argument for Defensive Player of the Year. He is the best two-way player in the league and can guard any position with unlimited stamina while carrying the scoring load for the Spurs. This will be the first time since 1997 that the Spurs will be without Tim Duncan. The torch as the most efficient-team orientated, down to earth player baton has been passed down to the perfect person. Kawhi is calm, collective, and a stone cold killer.
How do you play against someone who is practically perfect on both ends of the floor? There is nothing he does poorly, he doesn’t force bad shots, he distributes at a tremendous rate, and is the ultimate defensive presence. Kawhi is a machine. A robot built in Greg Poppovich’s evil laboratory with only one true purpose: to win championships.
Kawhi is only 25-years-old and has already achieved more than most NBA players could ever dream of:
- 2x All Star
- 1x All NBA
- 3x All Defensive Team
- 2x DPOY
- Finals MVP
- NBA Champion
One of these days Kawhi will no longer be in “the discussion” for the MVP award, but instead the front runner. However, today is not day.