Spurs Kawhi Leonard is NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year
San Antonio Spurs Kawhi Leonard beat out Golden State Warriors Draymond Green and Los Angeles Clippers DeAndre Jordan for the 2014-15 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Leonard, 23, managed to win the title even though he did not receive the majority of the first-place votes. The small forward earned a total of 333 points and received 37 first-place votes. Green came in second with 317 points and 45 first-place votes. Jordan finished third with 261 points and 32 first-place votes.
In the regular season, Leonard played in just 64 games due to injuries. Despite the limited time he spent on court in comparison to the other players, Leonard made a huge impact for the Spurs, who finished third in defensive rating. They allowed 99.6 points per 100 possessions. With Leonard on the floor, their rating fell from 102.2 points allowed to 97.1 points allowed per 100 possessions.
Leonard, who was the MVP in last year's finals, led the league in steals with 2.31 per game and recorded a career-high of 148 steals this season. He also racked up 48 blocks.
He finished the regular season averaging 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 31.8 minutes per game.
Leonard will become a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
