Two of the Clippers' most important players were recognized.
The Los Angeles Clippers finished the 2025-26 regular season at 42-40 and got bounced by the Golden State Warriors in the play-in tournament, so the year did not end the way anyone in that building wanted.
But something interesting came out of The Athletic's annual anonymous player poll this week, and it had everything to do with how the rest of the league looks at two guys on that roster.
When 151 players were asked to name the best defender in basketball, Kawhi Leonard and Kris Dunn each pulled in seven votes.
That tied them for second at 4.6 percent, trailing only San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama, who dominated the vote at 41.1 percent.
Why Leonard Still Belongs in the Conversation
Leonard is 34 years old and has dealt with health questions for what feels like half his career at this point, but his 2025-26 numbers say otherwise on both ends.
He put up a career-high 27.9 points per game with 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals while shooting 50.5 percent from the field across 65 games.
That steals number ranked fourth in the NBA per game, which put him right there with guys nearly a decade younger than him.
Two Defensive Player of the Year awards and seven All-Defensive selections already sit on his resume, and the players who have to actually score against him are the ones saying he is still one of the best.
That matters more than any outside opinion ever could.
Dunn's All-Defensive Case
Dunn played all 82 games this season with 68 starts, and on a roster that went through massive changes at the trade deadline, he was the constant.
He averaged 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 47.6 percent from the field and finished fourth in the league with 131 total steals.
The Clippers threw him at opposing guards every single night no matter the matchup, and both head coach Tyronn Lue and Leonard went out of their way to publicly push for Dunn to receive All-Defensive honors.
When asked about his chances, Dunn did not overthink it.
"It would mean a lot to me. I take pride in defense," Dunn told Sportsnaut. "Each and every night, I love guarding the best players. It gets my blood going."
Lue was more direct.
"It's a no brainer that he's definitely a First-Team All-Defensive guy," the head coach said.
What It Means Going Forward
The Clippers have big decisions stacking up this offseason with Leonard entering the final year of his contract and Dunn's $5.7 million salary for next season tied to whether he earns All-Defensive recognition.
A lot is going to look different in Los Angeles by the fall.
But when NBA players were given a ballot and told to pick the best defenders in basketball, two of them played for the Clippers.