Kawhi Leonard: Scores game-high 28 points. That will artificially drive his fantasy stock down compared to his talent level, but there's no reason Leonard should make it to the third round of any draft, as he's arguably the best two-way player in the NBA. It's a strong landing spot for Leonard considering he's joining a team that finished with the best overall record in the Eastern Conference last season and is set up for another playoff run. However, he still led the team to a 58-24 record and the No. Leonard shot 52 percent from the field on 9.8 attempts and 80 percent from the line on 1.9 attempts. He will provide the Spurs with some much needed youth, but he will open as the backup behind Richard Jefferson. head coach Tyronn Lue said before Sunday’s game that he isn’t sure when Leonard will be back, which puts his status up in the air on the second night of a back-to-back. As usual, Leonard excelled on the defensive end of the court, leading the NBA with 2.3 steals per contest. As Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker age, coach Gregg Popovich will begin to hand the reigns of the team over to Leonard, and Popovich has stated he will begin running offensive plays for the soft-spoken star. The Clippers got bounced earlier than expected in the postseason, blowing a 3-1 lead to the Nuggets in the second round. Kawhi Leonard scored 33 points, Lou Williams and Marcus Morris Sr. came up big in the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Chicago Bulls 125-106 on Friday night. Signed a three-year contract (including a player option) with the Los Angeles Clippers. Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers. However, he wasn't a Pacer for long as Indiana traded his draft rights to the San Antonio Spurs soon thereafter in exchange for George Hill. In his first season with the Raptors following a trade from San Antonio, Leonard earned his third All-Star bid and was the driving force behind the Raptors' first NBA championship. Only coach Gregg Popovich’s tendency to rest his stars periodically over the course of the season dings Leonard’s value, but the small forward is still capable of producing enough in 65 or 70 games to delight his fantasy owners. He was recognized as the Defensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the All-NBA Defensive First Team. If believed to be healthy, go ahead and select Leonard in the first or second round. San Antonio brought in LaMarcus Aldridge on a max deal last summer to help take the torch from the team’s trio of aging stars (Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili), but it was Leonard who stole the show and emerged as the Spurs’ alpha dog. He topped out with a pair of games over 40 points, including a season-high 43 against Cleveland on Jan. 14. The postseason, however, was where Leonard truly shined. In 2019, he teamed with the L.A. Clippers Foundation and non-profit community partner Baby2Baby to contribute a gift of one million backpacks intended to reduce stress on low-income families headed back to school across Southern California. They faced the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs, bowing out in a tough seven-game battle. On the rosier side of maybes, there's also a possibility that Leonard takes another step in his development on offense and has even more plays run for him this season to create a true tandem attack with Aldridge. Leonard attended Canyon Springs High School in Moreno Valley, California, but transferred to Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California, for his junior year. Despite logging fewer minutes per game than in his previous campaign, he posted career highs with 12.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Former Spurs superstar Kawhi Leonard hasn't found the success he was hoping for in Los Angeles. He declared for the 2011 NBA Draft after two seasons in college and was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 15th overall pick, but he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs on draft night. He has four older sisters. Leonard joined San Diego State to play for coach Steve Fisher after growing up near Los Angeles. Those numbers alone would make Leonard a pillar for any franchise, but his game-changing impact on the defensive end made him one of the league’s best all-around talents. The Aztecs advanced to the Sweet 16 as the forward averaged 16.3 points and 9.3 rebounds in the Big Dance. As such, a mid-to-late first-round selection is probably a reasonable draft slot for the L.A. native. The Raptors won the NBA Finals, and Leonard was given his second Finals MVP trophy before the age of 28, averaging 28.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and a combined 3.1 steals/blocks against the Warriors. Leonard tied a career high with 26 points in a win over Memphis on April 6 during which he made 12-of-13 shots from the field. Leonard took his already-potent offensive game to another level during his 2015-16 campaign with the San Antonio Spurs. Analysis: Even the NBA trade deadline has a different feel If these were normal times, the Toronto Raptors would probably be on the cusp of trading Kyle Lowry to a contender right about now. The trade ended up working out for Kawhi Leonard: while it wasn’t his preferred destination, he made the best of his time in Toronto and lead the team to a championship. Led by Leonard's dominant play, San Antonio reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2014. In the postseason, Leonard played in 12 games and posted per-game averages of 27.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals. Playing all but nine games without Leonard in the lineup, San Antonio finished with a 47-35 record, registering their worst winning percentage in 21 years. He played 23 playoff games, averaging 14.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest. He also earned All-NBA Second Team honors while finishing ninth in Most Valuable Player voting. The three-time All-NBA and five-time All-Defensive selection appeared in only 60 regular-games last season -- many of his missed games being due to rest. The forward had double-doubles in his first five games and finished with 23 on the season. The 27-year-old was reported to be dealing with right quad tendinopathy and was shut down for the preseason. Leonard had 12 points and 10 rebounds in the team's first-round loss to Tennessee. According to NBA.com’s official statistics, the Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz — both first-place teams — are the only teams so far with a non-corner three-point percentage above 39 percent. He averaged a career-best 21.2 points per contest while shooting over 50 percent from the field for the second time in his NBA tenure. Leonard rounded out his stat line with 7.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game while delivering his typically reliable percentages -- 47.0 from the field and 88.6 from the line. Leonard played well in the series, averaging 20.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals per contest. That translated to averages of 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.0 three-pointers across 33.4 minutes, which secured Leonard a spot as a finalist for league MVP honors alongside James Harden and Russell Westbrook. However, that ultimately lingered into the start of the regular season and Leonard would go on to miss the team's first 27 games. Leonard earned a spot on the All-NBA First Team and finished with the second-most votes for NBA MVP. Last season, he averaged 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 2.3 steals in 32 minutes per game. Throughout the regular season, the Raptors were careful with Leonard's workload in consideration of the leg injury that derailed his 2017-18 campaign. It's possible pairing up with Paul George will reduce Leonard's usage, but it probably won't be enough to result in a huge drop-off in production. That created tensions between himself, his teammates, his coaching staff and the fans, which eventually resulted in a relationship that was so far damaged that it was beyond repair. Leonard tallied 23 points (9-13 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 3-3 FT), five rebounds, two assists and two steals across 29 minutes in Sunday's loss to New Orleans. While his field goal percentage and three-point percentage did dip a bit, shooting 48.5 percent and 38 percent, respectively, that can partly be attributed to an increase in his overall number of shots taken, which can conversely be looked at as a plus for his overall scoring load. In mid-March, The 20-year-old became a fixture in the starting lineup and finished with 39 starts on the season during the lockout-shortened season. He registered another double-double in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals versus Oklahoma City, scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 boards. The team is also so deep that they could opt to rest their players even more than usualy this season. In addition, he averaged 1.7 steals per game as he continued to build a reputation as a lockdown defender. Leonard compiled 22 points (9-20 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 3-3 FT), eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals across 40 minutes in Monday's 109-99 win over the Mavericks. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLC’s Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, Kawhi Leonard 17 Pts, 4 Ast, 4 Stl vs Hornets | (3.20.21), Kawhi Leonard 22 Pts, 8 Reb, 7 Ast, 4 Stl vs Mavericks | (3.15.21), Cedars-Sinai Preventive Play of the Game | Clippers vs Mavericks (3.15.21), Kawhi Leonard 28 Pts, 9 Reb, 3 Stl vs Warriors | (3.11.21), Kawhi Leonard & Paul George | 2021 NBA All-Star | (3.7.21), Kawhi Leonard 22 Pts, 5 Reb, 3 Ast vs Wizards | (3.4.21), Kawhi Leonard 25 Pts, 9 Reb, 2 Stl vs Bucks | (2.28.21), George on Leonard's Impact | Clippers vs Grizzlies | (2.26.21), Kawhi Leonard 30 Pts, 9 Reb, 7 Ast vs Grizzlies | (2.26.21), Kawhi Leonard 32 Pts, 7 Reb, 4 Ast vs Wizards | (2.23.21). Leonard set career highs in scoring (27.1 points per game), free-throw efficiency (88.6 percent) and passing (4.9 assists per game) while adding 7.1 rebounds, 2.2 threes, 1.8 steals and 0.6 blocks. He led the Aztecs with 12.7 points and 9.9 rebounds to help the team win the Mountain West Conference's autobid for the NCAA Tournament. He averaged a career-best 1.8 treys per game and shot 44.3 percent from deep, third-best in the NBA. He was selected to the All-Rookie First Team and finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting. There's a good chance he takes a big step forward this season in the counting stats, but his less than ideal playing time and deficiencies in certain categories make him a clear tier below the top guys at the position. However, after playing just nine contests, Leonard was shut down indefinitely and wound up missing the last 43 games of the season. Now he's pointing to a lack of consistency as the reason. The peculiarity of the situation came when the Spurs' medical staff seemed to clear Leonard to play, while Leonard's personal medical team continued to advise him to sit out. He also made his first All-Star team and scored 17 points in 26 minutes for the Western Conference in the February showcase. The Spurs will have another fellow star to integrate into their system this season with Pau Gasol joining the ranks to replace the retired Duncan, but Gasol’s willingness to share the rock may only enhance Leonard’s stat lines. Like George, Leonard's hype heading into the season stems largely from his breakout performance in the postseason. During the first round of the playoffs against the Mavericks, Leonard averaged 32.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.3 steals. He delivered post-season per game averages of 8.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals as San Antonio reached the Western Conference Finals. Is another great game against the Warriors in store for Valanciunas? If not, avoid him and someone else in the league will likely take the risk. During the 2016-17 season, Leonard started 74 games -- the most of his career -- and averaged a career-high 33.4 minutes per contest. He also stepped up as a distributor, dishing out a career-best 3.5 assists per contest. He's got another All-Star in Kyle Lowry to be a facilitator and to help take the pressure off his back, as well as a couple of other established pieces in the frontcourt like Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas. In his last full season (74 games), Leonard averaged 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.0 three-pointers, operating as one of the best two-way players in the league and finishing as an MVP finalist. The Los Angeles Clippers are monitoring Kawhi Leonard who is listed as questionable to play Monday against the Miami Heat after getting scratch just before Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a leg contusion. In Leonard, the Spurs got exactly what they thought they were getting with the 15th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft--a starting small forward with a good motor and the ability to guard multiple positions. In his senior season, Leonard averaged 22.6 points, 13.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.0 blocks per game and was named California Mr. Basketball while leading his team to a 30-3 record. Kawhi Leonard: Scores 23 in losing effort. He also shot an efficient 52.2 percent from the field and 80.2 percent from the charity stripe. On April 5, Leonard tallied a career-best seven steals and scored 26 points in a win over Golden State. Leonard donated the car he received along with 2014-15 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award to Respite Care, a center providing aid for children in need. Leonard's efficient play makes him an elite fantasy player despite the fact that he only has one elite categrory for fantasy production, steals. After signing with the Clippers in July ahead of the 2019-20 season, Leonard went on to post arguably his best NBA season yet. I believe that San Antonio Spurs fans are a fairly level-headed bunch but if you want to poke the hornet’s nest, mention Kawhi Leonard around a few Spurs die-hards. Leonard finished with 28 points (10-17 FG, 5-7 3Pt, 3-3 FT), nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in 31 minutes during Thursday's 130-104 victory over the Warriors. He also added his second All-Star nomination and All-NBA First Team award, further boosting his resume as one of the top perennial talents in the league. Across his 57 games (all starts) for the Clippers during the regular season, Leonard scored at least 20 points on 48 occasions and cleared 30 in 21 of those games. Joe Bartel breaks down a relatively small Saturday slate, identifying a couple of key bets to target. Although nagging injuries have been a problem for Leonard, he has improved his production each season he has been in the league. However, he played in only two of the Spurs' following six contests. As a result, Leonard was traded to the Raptors this offseason, as well as Danny Green, in exchange for DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl. While coach Gregg Popovich's constant desire to rest his players looms large, Leonard is coming off a 2016-17 campaign where he played a career-high 74 games. He's fully expected to make a return to full strength ahead of training camp, which should allow Leonard the opportunity for a strong start to what could be another MVP caliber performance. He finished seventh in the NBA in steals (103), sixth in player efficiency rating (26.9), seventh in usage percentage (33.0), 10th in defensive rating (104.2), sixth in win shares per 48 minutes (.226), third in box plus-minus (8.9), and eighth in value over replacement player (5.1). That prompted a major change, with coach Doc Rivers getting fired. When considering drafting Leonard, keep in mind that his load management regiment will likely cap his total production despite the elite per-game numbers. His greatest value comes in nine-category leagues that factor in turnovers and percentages. Leonard recorded 17 points (6-13 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 5-5 FT), four assists, four steals and three rebounds Saturday in a 125-98 win versus Charlotte. Kawhi Leonard took on an expanded role in his second NBA season. He returned to action Dec. 12, scoring 13 points and collecting six rebounds against Dallas. Leonard ended up in Los Angeles anyway, as he left the Toronto Raptors in … Leonard saved his best for last, posting per-game averages of 17.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals in the Spurs' five-game romp over the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. Leonard's 2017-18 campaign was one of the more bizarre situations in recent memory. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Leonard played intermittently throughout the remainder of the month, finishing December with per-game averages of 13.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists in six games. News: 3 days ago Leonard had 20 points (9-21 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-4 FT), seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals in Wednesday's loss to Dallas.. Though he maintains a low profile off the court, Leonard has clearly arrived as a top-10 player in the NBA and should challenge for an MVP award again in 2016-17. In the postseason, Leonard started 14 games and averaged 27.1 minutes per contest. Unfortunately, an ankle injury derailed Leonard in Game 1 of the series against Golden State. At this point, Leonard's draft position will simply be determined by whether or not Fantasy owners think he'll be healthy for the start of the season. Leonard tallied 20 points (9-21 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-4 FT), seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals in Wednesday's loss to Dallas. In mid-December, Leonard was finally cleared for a return and he alternated playing in games and getting nights off for rest for roughly a month. Regardless of your format, Leonard is an emerging superstar, and even with Pop's minute restrictions, Leonard was able to turn in a diverse, fantasy-friendly stat line. Kawhi Leonard: Scores game-high 28 points Leonard finished with 28 points (10-17 FG, 5-7 3Pt, 3-3 FT), nine rebounds, four assists and three steals … The Los Angeles Clippers have the third-best record in the NBA at 24-12, and a lot of it has been thanks to the play of Kawhi Leonard. The two-time All-Star missed the first 27 games of the season while recovering from a right quadriceps injury. Kawhi Leonard is planning to play for Gregg Popovich again and chase a gold medal. A major reason for Leonard's leap as a scorer was his improvement as a three-point shooter. Kawhi Leonard, the freshly anointed Finals MVP, is entering his fourth season in the NBA. Leonard has always been labeled an elite defensive presence, and that was further evidenced by his 1.8 steals per game (8th in the NBA), but his continued improvement on the offensive side of the ball was especially encouraging, with his 25.5 points and 3.5 assists per contest again marking new career highs for the 26-year-old forward. The 2017-18 campaign was a difficult one for Leonard and the Spurs. That should give Leonard every opportunity to excel and if he comes anywhere near his numbers from 2016-17, he'll be a sure-fire first-round pick in the majority of Fantasy leagues. He averaged 6.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks en route to claiming a second straight Defensive Player of the Year award, and for the first time in his career, a spot on the All-NBA First Team. That said, Leonard's role on the team should be concrete, and fantasy managers won't have to worry about a drastic change of pace for the 29-year-old two-way star. Leonard did not return for the remainder of the campaign. Collectively, Leonard posted per-game averages of 7.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals. He notched seven double-doubles during the campaign, including a 16-point performance against Dallas on April 10 in which he grabbed a career-best 16 rebounds. Arguably his best playoff performance came in Game 6 against Dallas, when Leonard posted 33 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and five steals. In the second round against the Nuggets, he averaged 24.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.1 blocks. He might be a better real life player than a fantasy player, because the Spurs’ depth means that Leonard likely won’t see typical starters minutes. He shot 43.4 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from three-point range. Kawhi Anthony Leonard was born in Los Angeles, California, to Mark Leonard and Kim Robertson. The latest stats, facts, news and notes on Kawhi Leonard of the LA Clippers Average Fantasy Points are determined when. On the defensive end, Leonard was again a force, averaging 1.8 steals per game and receiving his third straight selection to the All-NBA Defensive First Team. The 6-foot-7 forward increased his scoring output to 25.5 points per game, establishing the best mark of his career and ranking ninth in the NBA. Leonard averaged a double-double to go along with 1.4 steals per game last season for San Diego St. During that time frame, Leonard was a top-10 fantasy talent in nine-category leagues. He made his second straight All-Star team and was named to the All-NBA First Team for the second consecutive campaign. He also converted 88.0 percent of his free-throw attempts, the highest mark of his career. Leonard continued to score efficiently, making 48.5 percent of his field-goal attempts, including 38.0 percent of his tries from beyond the arc. Leonard set career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and field goal percentage last season, but the real story of Leonard's season is how he played after returning from a fractured hand. For his efforts during the regular season, Leonard made the All-NBA Second Team. He was unable to return for the remainder of the postseason, and San Antonio lost to the Warriors in four games. On the season, Leonard averaged 11.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest. Leonard saw his scoring average jump from 16.5 points to 21.2 points per game and shot the ball with efficiency that rivaled Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, hitting 50.6 percent of his attempts from the field, 44.3 percent of his attempts from three-point range and 87.4 percent of his tries from the charity stripe. Leonard recorded 17 points (6-13 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 5-5 FT), four assists, four steals and three rebounds Saturday in a 125-98 win versus Charlotte. Meanwhile, Leonard continued to dominate on the defensive end as one of the league's premier wing defenders. All indications are that Leonard will continue to be rested for the remainder of his career as he deals with a quad injury that initially flared up during his final season with the Spurs. Drafted by the Indiana Pacers in the 1st round (15th pick) of the 2011 NBA Draft. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. Since the break, Lillard has averaged 35.8 points, 8.0 assists and 6.3 rebounds. These are fine numbers, but we know Popovich won't give him that many minutes in the regular season, as he likes to keep his guys rested and spread out minutes when the games don't mean as much. Leonard compiled 22 points (9-20 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 3-3 FT), eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals across 40 minutes in Monday's 109-99 win over the Mavericks. 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