The Future is Now: Kawhi Leonard is Spurs’ most important player now, and in the future

The Spurs have struggled without Kawhi Leonard this season, but his return bodes well for the spurs this season, and for the next several seasons

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The San Antonio Spurs are currently 13 games over .500, but it is still being considered a down season for a team with a recent tradition of excellence. Consequently, old and age and fatigue may finally become a very real threat to the Spurs dynasty.

However, amidst the transition, the Spurs do have a player that they can rely on in the present and build around in the future. That player is none other than fourth-year forward Kawhi Leonard. His value is evident to a Spurs team that is only 9-9 in the 18 games he has missed this season, and 23-10 when he is in the lineup.

A large part of the Spurs’ success with Kawhi Leonard is his defensive versatility and, simply, presence. Leonard’s size and quickness has made a nightmare matchup for guards and forwards alike. As a result, Leonard averages 2.1 steals per game, which is best on the Spurs.

However, amidst the transition, the Spurs do have a player that they can rely on in the present and build around in the future. That player is none other than fourth-year forward Kawhi Leonard.

Leonard’s aforementioned ability also allows the San Antonio to shift him around and mask, their older and weaker defenders.

Due to Leonard’s defensive ubiquity, Spurs opponents’ offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions) drops by 6.5 points when Leonard is on the floor, compared to when he is not this season.

Despite Leonard’s defensive talent, he also boosts the Spurs on the offensive end of the court, as he leads the Spurs in scoring this season (15.8 points per game). In addition to his individual scoring, the Spurs are function slightly smoother on offense when he is on the floor, as they are two points better in offensive rating when he gets involved.

Leonard’s offensive strength lies in his ability to work off of guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, and cut when they’re creating.

But Leonard isn’t only adept at finishing inside, because he is also capable to of stretching the floor and hitting 3-pointers, as evidenced by his 37 percent career 3-point percentage.

It doesn’t end there, however. In the past couple seasons, Leonard has added an off-the-dribble game, which bodes well for the Spurs looking ahead, as he has shown flashes of becoming a primary ball-handler.

It seems that the team has taken to those signs as they have utilized him more and more, seeing his usage rate rise every season, with this season showing the largest increase.

In spite of his increased involvement, Leonard has also become a more efficient player, as his player efficiency rating (PER) has also increased every year, as it currently sits at 20.1.

Maybe the most encouraging part of Leonard’s development moving forward is his ability to rise to the occasion in the playoffs.

In all three of his playoff appearances, Leonard has seen an increase in his scoring and rebounding from the regular season to the playoffs, despite the fact that Leonard has gone toe-to-toe with premier wings like Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and LeBron James.

Although Kawhi Leonard might not garner as much hype as his contemporaries like Paul George, Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson, he has demonstrated the offensive ability, defensive tenacity and poise to be the Spurs’ central figure now, and for many years to come.

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