Midway through his first season with the Toronto Raptors, Kawhi Leonard is playing himself into M.V.P consideration. Where does Kawhi rank in the race for the top honors, though?
We’ve recently passed the half season mark of the 2018-19 NBA season, and much like last season, the Raptors are vying for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Though, there’s a clear difference between this season’s team and last years iteration of the Toronto Raptors: Kawhi Leonard.
Leonard arrived from San Antonio in the off-season along with Danny Green, he was immediately viewed as an upgrade from former star player DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan is a fabulous player who has worked hard to perfect his craft, though he still remains a limited offensive product in terms of stretching the floor and a negative on the defensive end of the court. The trade was chastised for the manner in which it went down, Leonard was also viewed as an unknown quantity as far as the extent of his injury went, the Raptors took a gamble on the swingman superstar. It’s safe to say that the risk has paid off.
Leonard has played in (only) 39 games this year, he’s rested on the second night of back-to-backs but has looked unstoppable every time he sets foot on the floor for Toronto. Averaging a career-high 27.6 points per game on 61-percent true shooting, Leonard has been a shining light in a superb season for the Raptors thus far, shoehorning his way into M.V.P consideration.
However, there’s a host of worthy candidates this year. So, where does Kawhi rank among them?