Kawhi Leonard has been heralded as the future of the Spurs franchise the past couple of years, and with their Big 3 all pushing 40, the future is now. That’s a lot of pressure for a 24-year-old, but he’s a 24-year-old with a championship ring and a Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP trophy after out-dueling the best player in the world in the 2014 NBA Finals.
On Wednesday night, The Klaw was out to prove that he’s ready for the task of leading his team for the entire regular season with some more stellar play against the Washington Wizards in the first half.
His Defensive Player of the Year credentials were on display with the steal and breakaway dunk above, but he also showed off an expanding offensive repertoire as he was able to split this double team and get past three defenders for the easy layup en route to 18 first-half points.
Leonard has 21 points and eight rebounds as the Spurs try to hold onto their lead with half of the fourth quarter still left to play.
