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NBA: Ranking the top 5 West players at the quarter mark of the season

By Tyler Siebert

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 26: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers during the second half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on February 26, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Clippers defeated the Suns 102-92. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2020 NBAE. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 26: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers during the second half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on February 26, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Clippers defeated the Suns 102-92. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2020 NBAE. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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LA Clippers Kawhi Leonard (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

A quarter through the 2020-21 NBA season, we rank the top 5 players in the Western Conference 

We’re a quarter of the way through the regular season. The Western Conference playoff seeds keep changing hands. It’s still early enough in the season that a bad road trip can take you from the fifth or sixth seed to the 11th or 12th seed.

We’ve seen a few 60-point scoring performances, and a ton of efficient shooting percentages, and a multitude of highlights. Many players are putting together great seasons. Here are the top 5 players in the Western Conference thus far.

NBA West player ranking, No. 5: Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard‘s stats aren’t as high as some other guys in the league currently. Special consideration to guys like Luka Doncic or Paul George, who have higher averages than Kawhi but when it comes to “winning time,” Kawhi has to be the guy you go without of those three. He has what I call the “Draymond Green” syndrome, meaning his impact on the game speaks louder than his stat line.

If you look at a box score of a Golden State Warriors game, Draymond’s stats are underwhelming. However he’s the leader of the team, he probably had three or four “hockey assists”, and made winning plays that the coach will show in film the next day. Kawhi has that same impact all while averaging 25-5-5 a game.

Kawhi is very calculated in his play, he gets to his spots on offense and still guards the other team’s best player. This season he’s played in all but three games, due to an injury he suffered to his face. He came back sooner than expected and played with a protective mask and still played at a high level, a truly gutsy performance.

His style of play is almost identical to Jordan in the late 90s, mixed with more catch-and-shoot 3’s. His dribble moves are short and tight, he doesn’t over dribble, and nobody can control his direction when he has the ball. We know Kawhi likes his rest and manages his minutes a certain way, and with the style he plays, he’s still super effective without putting any unnecessary mileage on his body.

Kawhi’s stats are still impressive because he does everything well. He may not be at the top of the list in every category but they’re still very impressive. First, he’s lead his team to the best record in the NBA (16-5). His field goal percentages from the floor, the 3-point line, and the free-throw line are the highest of his career this far into the season. If the season ended today he’d be a 50-40-90 guy which is almost a golden ticket into the hall of fame.

I still consider Kawhi the best overall defender in the NBA and he backs my opinion up with being 5th overall in the NBA in steals at just under 2 a game. For the advanced stats, he’s third in player efficiency rating (28.1) and 6th in plus/minus (6.8).

The LA Clippers are currently the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and have a tough stretch of games coming up as they play the Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, and Cleveland Cavaliers who are all playoff teams. I look for the Clippers to win two out of three in this next stretch with steady performances by Kawhi, keeping his team in the first or second seed.

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