{"id":93733,"date":"2024-09-02T11:25:07","date_gmt":"2024-09-02T15:25:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=93733"},"modified":"2024-09-02T11:25:07","modified_gmt":"2024-09-02T15:25:07","slug":"top-25-nba-players-2024-25-no-23-kawhi-leonard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/02\/top-25-nba-players-2024-25-no-23-kawhi-leonard\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 25 NBA Players 2024-25: No. 23 – Kawhi Leonard"},"content":{"rendered":"

Moving forward with our ongoing top 25 rankings<\/a> we shift our focus to\u00a0<\/span>Kawhi Leonard. <\/a>He is a talented two-way wing with a hall-of-fame resume. While Leonard is still playing at a star level he is a difficult player to rank due to his injury history. Let’s examine Kawhi’s game and place among the top 25.<\/p>\n

Top 25 NBA Players 2024-25: No. 23 – Kawhi Leonard<\/h2>\n

An Aging Two-Way Star\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Leonard<\/a> was a consensus top 10 star for years with a stretch of being within the top five.\u200b\u200b The two-time Defensive Player of the Year is one of the most gifted and impactful wing defenders in league history. Additionally, Leonard is a talented and efficient isolation scorer capable of dropping 25-plus points on any given night. While much of this skill set remains with age and injuries Kawhi has clearly regressed. Kawhi still has all the tools to be a top-10 level player for a game or regular season stretch. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, at 33 with an extensive injury history, Leonard doesn\u2019t have the consistency to maintain this level of play throughout the regular season and playoffs. <\/span>Furthermore, due to numerous injuries, most notably an ACL tear in 2021 Kawhi has taken a step back athletically which especially hurts him defensively. Notably, Kawhi’s Defensive Box Plus\/Minus<\/a> has been a career low for two consecutive two seasons. Regardless, this version of Kawhi is still an incredibly productive All-Star-level wing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Season Recap\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Kawhi is coming off a highly productive season in which he averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on efficient 52.5\/41.7\/88.5 shooting splits. The Clippers acquired<\/a> James Harden<\/a> early on in the season who many saw as the missing piece next to Kawhi and Paul George. <\/a>This trio saw some level of regular season success ultimately finishing as the fourth-seed in the West. Notably, Kawhi earned All-NBA second-team honors. Kawhi’s elite and efficient isolation scoring stood out throughout the year. Additionally, Kawhi appeared in 68 games, the most since his San Antonio days. Kawhi also got a three-year $153 million dollar extension<\/a> in the middle of the season. However, the injury bug would strike Kawhi in the playoffs once again. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Creating in isolation is crucial when games are high intensity and bread & butter offense isn\u2019t quite working. These guys are the top 50 in isolation possessions in \u201923-\u201924\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2b06\ufe0f Efficient Isolation Possessions
\n\u27a1\ufe0f A lot of Isolation Possessions<\/p>\n

What stands out? pic.twitter.com\/np506aKd9m<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NBA University (@NBA_University) August 30, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n