Kawhi Leonard Is Back In MVP Mode This Season, And Almost No One’s Talking About It

The LA Clippers got off to a horrid start to the 2025-26 season, and they’ve been through plenty of drama already, too. NBA fans pretty much wrote off the Clippers early on as non-factors in the Western Conference.

But things have changed since then. LA is suddenly looking like a contender again, and they’re surging up from the bottom of the standings. The Clips have won four in a row, eight of their last 10, and are tied for the final Play-In spot right now with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Kawhi Leonard has been the main reason for LA’s turnaround. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year is averaging 32.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game over his last 10 games, and at 34 years old, he’s looking like Prime Kawhi all over again.

Leonard is finally healthy for the first time in awhile, and he’s managed to appear in 30 games this season, with averages of 28.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

Respected NBA voices Kevin O’Connor and Tom Haberstroh of Yahoo Sports went as far as to suggest on Thursday during a new episode of The Kevin O’Connor Show that Kawhi is the best player in the NBA right now, with Nikola Jokić still sidelined with an injury.

The Clippers might be old, but they have a considerable amount of talent on their roster. If they can stay healthy, and if Kawhi keeps looking like this, there’s no reason to put a deep playoff run past this group.

It’s been one of the most surprising stories in the NBA that no one is talking about. Kawhi is back, and the Clippers are a serious sleeper contender in the West.