Kawhi has the ability to transform his game during the season, and he is showing it right now.
The Los Angeles Clippers have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA over the last few months and their star forward Kawhi Leonard has been at the center of all of it.
After their 119-108 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night, Leonard spoke with the media and shared his mindset on how he approaches the game no matter what is asked of him.
"I'm able to play any style of basketball. Whatever the coaches want. If you ask any coach, I'm never a guy that's complaining about what's going on. It's about what they need from me. If I'm not playing well, I try to get better at it. Whatever it takes to adjust and be the best player I can be and help the team win," Leonard said, per Joey Linn on X.
That kind of attitude has been a big reason why the Clippers sit at 34-32 after starting the year at a rough 6-21.
Leonard Is Playing at an MVP Level
Leonard is averaging 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from three this season, and those numbers have only gotten better during the Clippers' recent surge.
He dropped 45 points on the Timberwolves on Wednesday night, shooting 15-20 from the field and 6-9 from three in a 153-128 blowout win that put the Clippers above .500 for the first time since October 31.
That performance came after he scored 29 points against the Knicks on Monday and 28 against the Grizzlies the Saturday before that.
He has been scoring at least 28 points in five straight games and has been the main reason the Clippers have won seven of their last eight.
His willingness to do whatever the coaching staff needs, whether that means carrying the scoring load or adjusting to new teammates, has shown why he is one of the best two-way players in the league.
A Revamped Roster Around Him
The Clippers made big moves at the trade deadline, sending James Harden to Cleveland for Darius Garland and trading Ivica Zubac for Bennedict Mathurin from Indiana.
Garland has averaged 17.8 points and 6.8 assists per game this season and gives the Clippers a second playmaker they have needed alongside Leonard.
With Garland and Mathurin now in the fold, Leonard has adjusted his game to fit the new pieces and has done it without missing a beat.
Head coach Ty Lue has talked about the challenge of figuring out how to stagger Leonard and Garland's minutes while both deal with playing time restrictions, but when the two have been on the floor together the results have been impressive.
The MVP Case Keeps Growing
What makes Leonard's season so special is the context around it.
He is carrying a team that was 6-21 and looked completely lost early on, and he has turned them into one of the most dangerous teams in the Western Conference.
The numbers back it up and the eye test does too, because Leonard has been dominant on both ends of the floor while leading the league in steals at 2.0 per game.
If the Clippers keep winning and push for a playoff spot instead of the play-in, Leonard's case for MVP is only going to get stronger down the stretch.