NBA: Who the 10 best players in NBA 2K17 should be
By Tom West
6th place – Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard will be the best defender in NBA 2K17. It’s harder to stop opponents outside than it is to take control of a big man with length inside to swat away opponents, and there’s no one on the planet with more smothering perimeter defense than “The Claw” that is Leonard.
His combination of persistence, speed and length gives opponents hell, resulting in Leonard leading the San Antonio Spurs towards the best defensive rating in the NBA last season while winning his second straight Defensive Player of the Year award.
Meanwhile, he became a deadly catch-and-shoot threat and added more to his offensive arsenal than we could have seen coming.
Making 44.3 percent of his threes with 1.8 makes per game (up from 34.9 percent and one make the previous season), Leonard’s shooting stroke couldn’t have looked much further from the struggles he had early in his career. On top of that, he improved his handle and stroke off the dribble to the point where he could create far more effectively in isolation using pull-ups, drives, or operating from the post.
With his rank in the 84th percentile in isolation plays, 89th as a post-up player, and 95th as a pick-and-roll ball handler, albeit on limited plays (per NBA.com), it’s clear how far Leonard has come as a two-way superstar.
Everything combined resulted in new career-highs for Kawhi of 21.2 points, 2.6 assists and one block per game. Not to mention new highs in PER (26) and true shooting percentage (61.6) as well.
Leonard keeps getting better, and the 93 rating he received in NBA 2K17 is easily fair.