The best current NBA player from every Sweet 16 team left in the NCAA Tournament
By Ben Handler
5. San Diego State Aztecs: Kawhi Leonard
This one was a complete no-brainer. Even in his current form, with his advanced age and injury history, Leonard is one of the very best players in the entire league and legitimately one of the all-time greats.
One of the only players ever to win Finals MVP for multiple teams, Leonard has been as healthy as he has in years and it has the Clippers in contention. At his peak, he was arguably the best offensive player alive, and clearly the best defender.
He’s looked like the Kawhi of old this season and has likely played his way back onto an All-NBA team - possibly even first. He’s averaging 23.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game this season, shooting 53% from the floor, 42% from three, and 89% from the free throw line.
He has also returned to his DPOY form of old, and with 65 games played, that’s already his most since the 2016-17 season when he was in San Antonio. The only other current Aztecs in the league are deep role players, Malachi Flynn and Jalen McDaniels, so there wasn’t much deliberating here.
Leonard represents the gold standard for San Diego State basketball and there has never been another Aztec to even come within sniffing distance of any of his accolades.
