As the NBA approaches the midway point of its 2015-16 campaign, with the league’s annual All-Star game right around the corner, many analysts and fans have already begun to debate who the favorites are to win the top individual awards at the end of the regular season.
In terms of the league’s most esteemed individual honor, it seems as though the reigning MVP of the NBA, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, is the favorite once again to take home the trophy. And how can you knock him? Curry is currently averaging 30.1 points per game, to go along with phenomenal shooting marks of 51 percent from the field and 45 percent from the perimeter. Not only has his offensive game expanded, but his defense has also steadily gotten better, especially over the past year. Given that the Warriors are 40-4 and Curry is the team’s best player, it makes perfect sense why many see him getting the award again this year.
But just behind the Warriors are the San Antonio Spurs at 38-6, led by Kawhi Leonard. While a lot of the talk has been appropriately geared towards the Warriors, especially their insane 24-0 start to the season, Leonard and the Spurs have remained mostly in the background as they always do. And this is unfortunate, because they have been arguably just as impressive as the Warriors, who they will play for the first time on Jan. 25.
Where Curry is the league’s best offensive player, Leonard is the best defender in all of basketball. His length, huge hands, and ability to read offenses extremely well allows him to steal, block, and alter a ton of shots and passes thanks to his mere presence alone. He is regularly tasked with guarding the opposition’s best player, such as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, and even point guards like Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Curry on the other hand really only guard players at his position, and when he does, he is not seen as the “lockdown” defender that Leonard is.
In terms of offense, Leonard has vastly improved many aspects of his game. He is shooting a remarkable 48 percent from beyond the 3-point line, which is a better mark than Curry. His mid-range looks off isolation sets are usually automatic, his post game and footwork have taken the next step, and his athleticism continues to catch defenses off guard as he finds ways to get to the rim and throw the hammer down.
Just like last year, the Warriors have remained mostly healthy (excusing a brief injury suffered by Harrison Barnes that forced him to miss a handful of games) and have played their usual rotation. The veteran Spurs on the other hand have battled a few nagging injuries, as well as rested their core players (such as LaMarcus Aldridge, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker) throughout this season. Leonard has handled the additional responsibility of stepping up his game in these players’ absences phenomenally well.
When it comes to judging who should win the MVP award, offensive statistics are pushed to the forefront of the argument, while how good a player is on the defensive end of the floor is usually an afterthought. There is no questioning that Curry is a better offensive player than Leonard, but Leonard is really not that far behind given the amount of ways he can score the ball. But when it comes to comparing these two on defense, the gap between Curry and Leonard is considerable.
When these two teams play on Monday night, it will be absolutely riveting to see Leonard play defense on Curry. The last time these two played against one another, Leonard guarded him for most of the game, recording seven steals while helping pave the way to a 107-92 blowout win for the Spurs. Luckily for NBA fans, this meeting will be the first of four regular season matches between the Spurs and Warriors this year. This means that not only will we get to see four fantastic basketball games in the last half of the season between two title heavyweights, but these games will also help prove why Leonard should truly be the MVP this season, rather than Curry.
