The pre-season is about to start and it's a sign that opening night of the regular season is on it's way! A very exciting season is about to start as many changes had happened in the summer. Big signings, big trades, rumors and dramas, there's a lot to watch next season and I can't wait to watch all the possible games I could watch. LeBron James to the Lakers, Melo to Houston, New era for the San Antonio Spurs, Kawhi to the Raptors, those are some of the most exciting things to keep our eyes on and watch every game this upcoming season. But what do you think about the NBA awards? who's your early pick for the MVP? Today, I want to discuss about my prediction of who could surprisingly win the Most Valuable Player Award this season and my pick will be Kawhi Leonard.
Two years ago, Leonard end up third at the MVP voting and he really had a case in winning that year. This year I am curious of how will Leonard react or how good can Leonard be after so many challenges he's been through these past two seasons.
There's a lot of things to consider when talking about winning the MVP award. First, a player should bring his team to the playoffs and finish the regular season with 50 or more wins. This is what James Harden did last season that's why he won the MVP award. But in my own opinion, LeBron James was robbed. LeBron for me is more deserving to win the award because he carried a bunch of role players to the Finals and do not have much help other than Kevin Love while James Harden had Chris Paul, Clint Capela, a sixth man of the year candidate eric Gordon and a great system with a brilliant coach.
Harden was able to bring his team to the playoffs and to the top of the Western Conference finishing with the best record in the NBA last season. He also averaged 30.4 points (best in the NBA last season), 5.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game. But despite the impressive performance by James Harden I still believe LeBron should've win it. LeBron is still the fan favorite in winning the MVP next season and the other favorites are Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans, Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. DeMar DeRozan and Paul George can slightly be in this conversation but I don't see them being in the top 5 of the MVP voting. I don't know, they're both on their prime but DeRozan is not that good compared to the players I mentioned above, and Paul George I think needs more; I want more from him. He needs to lead more and touch the ball more but the thing is Russell Westbrook is his team mate. Let's just hope he will have a breakout season.
Now let's now talk about Kawhi. I picked Kawhi Leonard because there are plenty of reasons why he could win the MVP. Before Kawhi leaves the Spurs, there are a lot of dramas outside the basketball court, things that we don't see in social media and television. We know Kawhi is a silent type guy and he's not the type to make some noise.
Kawhi has been with the San Antonio Spurs his whole career and he keeps getting better every year. Of course, what can you expect with one of the most intelligent coaches in the history of basketball. Kawhi Leonard has gained a lot of experience under the guidance of Coach Greg Popovich and now the Toronto Raptors will benefit for all of that.
Now that Kawhi is in the Eastern Conference, he can now bring his talents to the next level and aim for a championship with the Toronto Raptors. I think this will be a redemption for Kawhi and he will show the world why he is the 2nd best player in the NBA today (Sorry Kevin Durant) and the best two way superstar in the league today. Kawhi is already in his prime at 27 years old and with great players helping him, there's a lot to expect with this team.
Kawhi's strongest weapon is his defense. He uses his huge hand very well and opponents are intimidated by him. That's also the reason why he is called LeBron's kryptonite. Not only LeBron but he can also lock down every superstars at any given night. I think Kawhi has the best defensive instinct and nobody can match his defensive ability. Kawhi also is very good in playing the passing lanes.
There are things that I noticed when I watch Kawhi play D, one thing is he always locks down position and the ball and then took advantage when the opponent was not in good position. Another is he always reached in when he is so sure and he do it when the ball is going down so the offensive player will have less chance of protecting the ball. He also doesn't settle with worthless reach-in or he doesn't forced to steal the ball. It's all about timing for him and being patient. Kawhi always extend his arm when defending an off-ball player so he can intercept the ball. It's so basic but many players don't give much attention in doing that but Kawhi do it seriously that's why he gets tons of steals. I also notice that when a player backed down, he always attack that player and uses his long arm and lateral quickness to trapped them. Many players are being beaten by the offensive player using screens. There are a lot of guys who cannot recover defending when they are caught in a screen and end up switching and having a mismatch but Kawhi is the best in recovering from a screen and cutting off the offense.
In offense there's also a lot of things that Kawhi can do. He's a great shooter, he's not scared of the big moments and the crucial ones, he can isolate and make is own move, he can spot up a jumper and can drive to the basket. He's a good finisher and a good free throw shooter. Kawhi just use simple basic moves. He's not more in styles or flashy moves, he only wants the best shot he can take to score a basket. That's just simplicity. One major thing I noticed with him in offense, he is very good in using the pump fake. He's always patient and will wait until he or his team mate get the best shot they can take. He's very well within Coach Pop's system. The most appealing shot he uses is the fadeaway jumpshot from the post. I think that's his favorite move now. The move that Kobe and MJ has mastered. Kawhi is not doing it every time but he shot it very well at 67%.
If Kawhi averaged 20 plus points a game next season while being in the top of the Eastern Conference he win the MVP award because as usual, he will have a stellar defensive stats and will be in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation for sure. And that combined with a great scoring average and a high team standing is enough for him to take home the award.
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