Subscribe
Follow Us
Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers is just 28 years old, but he has already accomplished more than most players hope to achieve in their entire careers.
He has won two championships. He has two Finals MVP awards under his belt. He is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year. He won his titles with two different franchises.
It makes you think: What's left?
There are some individual accolades Leonard still needs to notch, so he has some goals ahead of him entering his first season with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Here are three of them:
3. Shoot 40 Percent from Three
Leonard has shot 40 percent from long range before, nailing an absurd 44.3 percent of his triples during his breakout season back in 2015-16, but he he has never come close to replicating that number.
Kawhi has hovered around 37-38 percent from downtown for most of his career, owning a lifetime 3-point percentage of 38.3. Obviously, that's still really good, but again, we are talking about Kawhi Leonard here, so it's tough for a guy of his caliber to find goals.
He made 37.1 percent of his triples this past season, but how about making 40 percent during his first year in L.A.?
It's not as though the Clippers are starving for perimeter shooting. Paul George, Landry Shamet and Patrick Beverley can all hit the 3-ball with regularity, but if Leonard can make 40 percent of his treys, it would make the Clippers that much more unstoppable.
2. Win the MVP Award
Leonard may be the best player in the league right now, but he has actually never won an MVP.
He had a very good chance to win it during his final year with the San Antonio Spurs in 2017-18, but he played just nine games that season due to a persistent quad issue.
Article Continues Below
All of the all-time greats have MVP awards on their mantles, so at some point, Leonard will get his, but why not next season?
The Clippers have a great chance of finishing with the league's best record, and you know how it goes: If you are an elite player on the team that has the best record in basketball, you have a great shot of winning the award.
It might come down to whether Leonard actually plays enough games to make that happen.
1. Become the First Player to Win Finals MVP with Three Different Franchises
The list of players to win Finals MVPs with two different teams is a short one, but the list of players to win Finals MVP with three different franchises is nonexistent. It has never happened.
Could Leonard be the first to do it?
As it stands, the Clippers are championship favorites heading into the 2019-20 campaign, and barring injuries or some other weird stuff happening, it would surprise many if they didn't win the title.
If Los Angeles does get to the Finals and ends up winning it all, chances are either Leonard or George will take home Finals MVP honors. While George is no slouch, Leonard probably has the upper hand there.
Obviously, the ultimate goal for Kawhi is to bring a title to the Clippers, but it would be even sweeter to make individual history in the process.
