Kawhi Leonard - LOCKDOWN 16/17 Part 1

There's one thing people should know about Kawhi: "you show him the ball, you give give him the ball." There is no better perimeter defender in this league, that's unquestionable at this point. His resume speaks for itself with his back to back DPOY awards and a Finals MVP that he earned mostly on the back of locking down LeBron James during Bron's last MVP year.

While Draymond Green might be the most versatile defender in the league with his ability to clamp up each position, Kawhi is certainly the most dominant defender in the league for the positions he does guard. Adding to that is that he's increased his offensive output in incredibly efficient fashion (48.5% from the field, 88.0% from the line, 38.1% from 3 on 5 3 point FG attempts per game), and the storied San Antonio Spurs winning 60+ games in back to back seasons for the first time in franchise history, and you have the makings of a Most Valuable Player campaign that like Kawhi, is outspoken but entirely deserving.

Kawhi. Draymond. Rudy Gobert. Those are the three front runners for Defensive Player of the Year, but for my money, I'd probably give it to Draymond this year. Two years ago, you could've gone either way. Last year, Kawhi just ripped the award away like he did the ball most of the season, but this year, I'd give the edge to Draymond, especially for how the Warriors have dominated defensively without Andrew Bogut anchoring and going on about a 14 game winning streak without a former MVP in Kevin Durant. That being said, this video is more about Kawhi's MVP campaign than a DPoY bid. Between James Harden and Russell Westbrook, could you really say they are elite defenders? Yes, they are capable, and yes, the offensive output can compensate for their defensive deficiencies, but Kawhi is arguably as vital to his offense as those guys are to theirs, but with the added burden of having to strap up the other team's star on a nightly basis.

I apologize in advance to all Andrew Wiggins fans.

(The description is from when I originally released the video, which was before the playoffs)

*DESCRIPTION FROM AUGUST 2017