• To wit: I have Kawhi Leonard as a guard on the second team. It was more difficult than usual this season to find four worthy guards. Some of the candidates, and especially the best point guard candidates, missed huge chunks of the season — Eric Bledsoe, Rajon Rondo, Patrick Beverley, Jrue Holiday, Chris Paul, Tony Allen, Avery Bradley, Thabo Sefolosha, etc. Mike Conley’s defense slipped a bit under a heavier offensive burden. Kyle Lowry has toned down the wildness and DeMar DeRozan has made huge strides, but neither is so good as to make me queasy about Leonard’s positioning here. Ditto for Klay Thompson, Wesley Matthews, and several other quality guards.
Leonard missed 16 games himself, nearly as many as Paul, but he has been sensational defensively when he has played — a rebounding and steals machine with gorgeous footwork. He’s nominally a small forward, but if the opponent’s best perimeter scorer is a shooting guard, Leonard will spend heavy minutes defending that guy while Danny Green (also a very good defender) slides up a position. The Spurs allow nearly five fewer points per 100 possessions with Leonard on the floor, per NBA.com. He’s in.
• Leonard benefits from playing with Tim Duncan, who remains a defensive genius even as his offensive game took a small but noticeable dip this season. He’s a monster rebounder, he never fouls (just ask him), and he moves almost in exact synchronization with the opposing offense. Some of his help rotations are just uncanny . . . .