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There are a lot of early MVP candidates this season, but Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade believes Toronto Raptors superstar small forward Kawhi Leonard should be leading the charge.
In his first season with the Raptors, Kawhi Leonard has guided Toronto to the best record in the NBA, is putting up stellar offensive numbers, and playing his usual superb defense.
Dwyane Wade says because Kawhi Leonard plays and impacts both sides of the ball, The Claw should be the front-runner for the MVP award.
Respect from one Finals MVP to another. Dwyane Wade on Kawhi Leonard last night: "When it comes to MVP talk, I feel like he should definitely be leading the charge. He is a player that plays both ends of the floor and at the end of the game makes big plays and shots."
— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) December 27, 2018
After only playing in nine games last year with the San Antonio Spurs because of a quadriceps injury, Kawhi Leonard has returned with a vengeance this season. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year is averaging 26.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game and shooting 49.7 percent overall, 37.7 percent from beyond the arc and 85.6 percent from the free-throw line.
Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors defeated Dwyane Wade and the Heat on Wednesday in South Beach. Leonard finished with 30 points while shooting 9-of-20 overall. Wade, meanwhile, scored 10 points and shot 4-of-12 from the floor.
The Raptors are 26-10. With Leonard in the mix, Toronto has a great shot at making the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. Dwyane Wade knows what it takes to be an MVP, as the future Hall of Famer was the Finals MVP back in 2006. If he thinks Leonard is the leader for the award, we should listen to his words carefully.
