NBA 2018-19 Season: Top 10 Small Forwards Today

#4 Kawhi Leonard

There’s a damn good chance Kawhi Leonard could wind up outplaying this ranking. In fact, on a personal level I'm betting on the Klaw to win either the MVP award or his 3rd Defensive Player of the Year title, or in fact, both trophies for the coming season.

I'm simply choosing to be conservative with his placement, mostly due to the fact he missed almost all of last season due to a sketchy thigh injury, because if this ranking had taken place last summer, Leonard would have probably finished third, maybe even second.

Two years ago, Leonard averaged 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.0 three-pointers per contest, shooting 48.5 percent from the floor, 38.0 percent from deep and 88.0 percent from the foul stripe.

On top of those eye-popping marks, Leonard also doubled as the league’s best perimeter defender, so meddlesome with opposition guards and forwards that teams routinely schemed to keep Kawhi's cover at the corner while running their offense in order to negate his effect on their pay.

Now a member of the only Canadian team out there, I expect Leonard to have a chip on his shoulder after what’s gone down over the past year. If that’s the case, and if the team is able to manage a clean bill of health, the 2014 Finals MVP could lead Toronto to heights they’ve never before reached and breaking the hegemony of the top two players on this list.