Kawhi Leonard has joined the league's elite

Spurs fans have been watching the development of Kawhi Leonard since he was drafted in 2011, just before the owners locked the players out. His progression from rough-around-the-edges rookie, to solid 3-and-D man, to Defensive Player of the Year has been everything that the most optimistic of observers could have hoped for. But this year has been something else entirely, and everyone seems to be taking notice.

The Whirlwide Liter published a story listing the five reasons he's emerged as a superstar. Brett Oswalt of Number Fire thinks he's the best two-way player in the NBA and has the numbers to show how his defense is continuing to improve. Sport Illustrated has done stories on why he's a shoo-in to make his first All-Star Game, and how he's the one to pick up where Kobe Bryant is leaving off. And when LeBron James wants to praise a teammate, he compares him to Leonard.

All of the above stories are good reads, but the one I want to call out specifically comes from SB Nation's Yaron Weitzman, which is based on the premise that Kawhi's talents on offense are just too good for him to be described as a "two-way player." He separates Leonard's offensive game into all of its different components, and then breaks each of them down with clips to illustrate.

It's definitely worth your time, and I recommend it heartily. And I can't say I disagree with his conclusion.