Kawhi Leonard named Western Conference Player of the Week

Kawhi Leonard likely has bigger awards on his mind, but he will have to settle for one he captured this week.

Leonard was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Feb. 27 through Sunday, the Spurs forward’s fourth time winning the honor this year.

For the week, Leonard averaged 32 points, 9 rebounds and 4.3 assists and 4 steals per game, recording 30-plus points in each of the Spurs’ three wins.

He began the week, on Wednesday, by nailing a game-winner over the Pacers for a 100-99 win:

He tallied 31 points in that contest, but he wasn’t done.

Two nights later, he posted another 31 points, this time against New Orleans in a 101-98 overtime win. Leonard added 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals in the victory.

The sixth-year forward rounded out the week and recorded 34 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and a season-best 6 steals Saturday night, guiding San Antonio to a 97-90, overtime win over Minnesota. With the performance, Leonard became the first Spur in franchise history to log at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals in one game.

Leonard has now scored 30-or-more points in 22 games this year, the most by a Spurs player in a single season since David Robinson posted 23 such games in the 1995-96 campaign.

Leonard is averaging a career-best 26.1 points per game on the season, to accompany 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.9 steals.