Although Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving won the 2011-12 NBA Rookie of the Year award, San Antonio Spurs’ rookie finished fourth in the voting. Leonard garnered 47 points (one first place vote) which placed him behind Irving, Ricky Rubio, and Kenneth Faried.
Kawhi was traded for in the 2011 NBA Draft to the Pacers in exchange for fan favorite George Hill. Initially, the trade left Spurs fans scratching their heads but the trade worked out great for San Antonio. Leonard proved to be the defensive player we was known for while in San Diego State and at times even defended some of the best players on opposing teams such as Kevin Durant. But he has developed an offensive game in his rookie season with the Spurs including a reliable three-point shot.
In the regular season, Kawhi averaged 7.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 37% three-point shooting and 49% shooting from the field in 24 minutes for the Spurs.
