By Michael Wallace
Grind City Media
MEMPHIS – The options seem justifiably endless.
Yes, Russell Westbrook is piling up video game numbers we haven’t seen in reality on a basketball court since Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain.
Right on cue, the indestructible true ‘Big 3’ getting the job done year after year and rounding into unbeatable form yet again are Father Time, Mother Nature and LeBron James.
On top of that, James Harden deserves special recognition simply for becoming the first athlete or entertainer in history to survive a Kardashian breakup and elevate his performance to the next level.
But standing beyond Westbrook’s historic relentlessness, LeBron’s rock-solid reliability and Harden’s unprecedented resilience is the player who should be at the front of the NBA’s Most Valuable Player race entering the midseason break: Kawhi Leonard.
Factoring in dominance on both ends of the court, impact on his team’s overall performance, usage rate, efficiency and the plain old eye test when looking at more than just snapshot highlights, it’s clear from here the San Antonio Spurs’ forward is the league’s most complete player this season.
Don’t be shocked.
Many of us are repeating the same mistakes we make year after year in overlooking the Spurs because they go about their brilliance without boasting, without getting caught in national pundit crossfire or controversy, without social media drama, without trade speculation and without distractions. In fact, the only national headlines the Spurs continue to make involve highly-regarded coach Gregg Popovich popping off at every opportunity with dismay over the election of President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, there’s been a far more seamless transition of power in San Antonio, where Leonard has stepped into the leadership void created by the retirement of the greatest power forward in NBA history in Tim Duncan. The Spurs haven’t taken a step back and remain within striking distance of the Golden State Warriors for the league’s best record entering the season’s stretch run.
Let’s put this in perspective another way. The Warriors gained an MVP and perennial scoring champion in Kevin Durant to a roster coming off an NBA-record 73-win season while the Spurs lost the best power forward in NBA history and have been riddled with nagging injuries, yet remain on the Warriors’ heels.
To embrace Leonard’s MVP candidacy requires setting aside emotion. He doesn’t necessarily wow you despite averaging career highs this season in scoring (25.9), assists (3.3), free-throw percentage (89.9), minutes (33.5) and both three-point and overall field goal makes and attempts.
OKC Thunder guard Russell Westbrook’s 27 triple-doubles are one shy of Oscar Robertson’s NBA record for most posted by the All-Star break.
The two-time reigning NBA defensive player of the year has made routine work this season of taking over games in the fourth quarter, dropping 30 points on opponents and also locking up their best offensive threat. Westbrook and Durant post flashier numbers. Leonard does it with surgical nuance.
Advanced metrics suggest opposing teams are essentially treating Leonard like an NFL shutdown cornerback, rarely if ever running their offense or any isolation action to his side of the floor. Offensively, Leonard entered February ranked second in the league in points-per-possession on pick-and-rolls and is the third-most efficient player in the league in spot-up scoring opportunities.
In addition, Leonard was 10th in the league in real plus-minus (+5.63), an overall rating that surpasses the production of Westbrook, Harden and LeBron. And of the 10 players that entered the month with a usage rate of at least 30 this season, Leonard has the second-highest true shooting percentage overall.
Simply put: No other player in the league has compiled a portfolio of dominance as diverse as Leonard’s. Nobody.
I’ve always subscribed to the theory that it takes more work to push a good team into championship contention every year than it does to lift a poor-to-average team into the playoff hunt. Westbrook and Harden probably aren’t winning a championship. LeBron and Durant each has two or three other max salary players around them on proven title teams.
Leonard is the foundation of a championship franchise built on continuity, quality role players and quiet strength. Now that Duncan’s gone, Leonard and Popovich are to the NBA what Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are to the NFL.
Don’t discount Westbrook’s triple-double tear or Harden’s offensive transformation or LeBron’s perseverance or Durant’s all-world efficiency. They’ve all made remarkable noise in the NBA this season and have commanded much of our attention every step of the way.
Meanwhile, the MVP so far this season strolls quietly along the River Walk.
Grind City’s NBA Power Index
Golden State Warriors
San Antonio Spurs
Cleveland Cavaliers
Boston Celtics
Washington Wizards
Houston Rockets
Los Angeles Clippers
Memphis Grizzlies
Utah Jazz
Toronto Raptors
After losing nine games last season on the way to posting the best record in NBA history, the Warriors already matched that loss total at the All-Star break. Troubling? Not really. Last Week: 1
The Spurs are already 4-2 on their mammoth annual rodeo trek, and have reinforcements on the way with Pau Gasol on target to return from a hand injury after the break to finish the trip. LW: 2
Seems like every year this time of the season the minutes start to pile up for LeBron James as injuries hit his supporting cast. Now Kevin Love is out, but LeBron has overcome this before. LW: 3
Boston has won nine of its past 10 games to climb to within striking distance of the Cavs atop the East standings. Do the Celtics tinker with their success by dealing at the trade deadline? LW: 4
This season is becoming more about the redemption stories of John Wall as a bona fide All-Star and coach Scott Brooks, who is proving he wasn’t necessarily the problem in Oklahoma City. LW: 6
James Harden joined Russell Westbrook as the first tandem to post triple-doubles with at least 35 points the same day Wednesday since Pete Maravich and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975. LW: 5
Doc Rivers and company entered the break having won four straight games and appear to be gaining momentum as they await Chris Paul’s return from a thumb injury for the stretch run. LW: NR
The good news is at 34-24, the Grizz have the third-best record in franchise history at the All-Star break. The bad news is they’ve dropped six games at home to teams with losing records. LW: 7
The midseason break comes at a crucial time for the Jazz, with injuries having kept their rotation in flux since the start of the season despite a league-best defense that holds foes to 95.7 points. LW: 8
After slipped in the standings behind the Cavs, Celtics and Wizards, the Raptors made the biggest trade of the year so far and acquired Serge Ibaka to bulk up for another deep playoff run. LW:9
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Memphis Grizzlies. All opinions expressed by Michael Wallace are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Memphis Grizzlies or its Basketball Operations staff, owners, parent companies, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Memphis Grizzlies and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.