Kawhi Leonard Carrying a Heavier Load This Season
By Jonathan Brannon
@jbrannon89
Getty Images
After the 2013 NBA Finals, many were looking to Kawhi Leonard to break out the next season and start competing with the league’s elite the same way he battled LeBron James. Unfortunately, the 2014-15 season didn’t result in much of a difference on the stat sheet.
Leonard was scoring about one point more per game than the previous season, and kind of came slow out of the gate. Many began to wonder if the pressure was too much or if Leonard was bound to remain a role player his entire career.
The 2014 NBA Playoffs were similar to the previous season in that Leonard’s production began to soar, and more people were able to watch and focus on his playmaking ability. The NBA Finals turned out to be a quick rout of the Miami Heat for Leonard’s San Antonio Spurs with Leonard earning Finals MVP honors. Kawhi finished the series with a career-high 29 points in Game 3 as well as team-highs in scoring the last three games of the series.
Again, the anticipation for Leonard to break into the league’s elite grew. This season, the reigning NBA Finals MVP is improving in nearly every statistical category. Hampered by an eye infection as the season started, Leonard quickly overcame that struggle and began putting up big numbers despite the infection. The biggest difference seems to be Leonard’s contributions on the offensive end as he is consistently finding himself in the team’s top scoring groups.
Kawhi Leonard may not be challenging for the regular season MVP right now, but his consistent contributions make him a strong candidate for an All-Star game appearance. Plus, it always helps to know that come playoff time, Kawhi will be at his best. Who knows how good that will be this season?
Jonathan Brannon is a San Antonio Spurs writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @jbrannon89, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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