Over the last few years, the ascendence of Kawhi Leonard for the San Antonio Spurs has been quite remarkable
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With about three minutes left on the clock in the third quarter of Game 3, the San Antonio Spurs’ faithful rose to their feet after a foul was called. They weren’t jeering at the hard contact Glen Davis of the Clippers made on Boris Diaw during his drive to the basket. They weren’t upset about Diaw coming up short on his first attempt from the line. They were standing on their feet and applauding the efforts of Kawhi Leonard.
Prior to the start of the series’ third game, a short ceremony was held on the court in San Antonio. Leonard wasn’t just being dubbed the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in that moment, he was being dubbed the undisputed future of a franchise that has become synonymous with greatness for the past two decades. Tim Duncan stood adjacent to Leonard on the court, to play his own role in the ceremony. It wasn’t just the trophy that Duncan was handing over to him however, it was the legacy.
Eighteen consecutive seasons of San Antonio Spurs postseason basketball is where we stand at the moment. For the past five of those seasons, the question of longevity and age have flooded in. Yet still, year after year, the Spurs seemingly never wavered from their winning ways.
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One day Tim Duncan will only grace the court in San Antonio for special presentations and ceremonies like this one. For only a little more time will Tony Parker provide an incredibly quick pace to the offense of the Spurs. How much longer can you expect Manu Ginobili to anchor the second unit for?
The biggest fear for many fans of the San Antonio Spurs and basketball as a whole, was that once those guys are gone there’d be no immediate heir to their throne. Kawhi Leonard has seemingly erased those fears altogether.
The ever-stoic Greg Popvich once shed tears on the night of the 2011 draft because he was tasked with informing one of his esteemed pupils, George Hill, that he was being traded for the Indiana Pacers’ first round selection. That pick was turned into Leonard at number 15 that year.
Flash forward nearly three years and Pop was looking on as Kawhi Leonard earned NBA Finals MVP honors while helping the team to its 5th championship. This was in the same year that he was named to the All-NBA Defensive 2nd Team.
Another year brings us full circle back to Friday night’s victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. He stood at the free throw line in the fourth quarter as MVP chants rained in from the thousands in attendance.
32 points in this game marks his career high in any contest, regular season or playoffs. Aside from his stellar defense that’s become a staple of his game, he has developed into an offensive weapon the likes of which few thought possible.
He’s very much the future of the San Antonio Spurs organization, and with a 2-1 series lead against the Clippers he’s poised to try and lead the city to the promised land once more.