Fresh off Western Conference Player of the Week honors, Kawhi Leonard has propelled the Los Angeles Clippers to a six-game winning streak—the NBA's longest active—averaging 39 points per game and drawing Kobe Bryant comparisons. Improved team shooting and defense have vaulted them into Play-In contention after a 6-21 start.
The Clippers hit rock bottom at 6-21 after a December 18 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, with trade rumors rampant. But since then, they've rattled off six straight wins to reach 12-21, just 1.5 games from the Western Conference Play-In as of early January.
Leonard, building on his Week 10 Player of the Week performance—including a career-high 55 points vs. the Pistons—has erupted, averaging 39 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.5 blocks over the streak on 53.2% FG, 44.1% 3PT (9.8 attempts/game) and 93.5% FT. He posted three 40-point games and, over the last five, joined Kobe Bryant as the only players averaging 40+ points on 50/40/90 shooting with a perfect win record (Opta Sports).
Leonard has ramped up aggression, matching his first 17 games' restricted-area attempts (29) in just these six—converting 75.9% with nine dunks—and firing a career-high 16 threes vs. the Jazz. "We're still trying to get better," he said post-Jazz win. "We might not be contenders but we just gotta keep fighting."
With Leonard on court, the Clippers outscore foes by 117 points in 230 minutes (+21.6 net rating, league-best for streak); they're 10-13 with him (+2.7) vs. 2-8 without (-5.5). Coach Tyronn Lue: "When he's healthy, he's one of the top guys."
Team metrics have soared: No. 1 offensive (127.2), defensive (105.6) ratings during streak. Three-point shooting jumped from 35.1% (20th) to 41.2% (3rd) on high volume (e.g., 51 attempts vs. Jazz, franchise second-most). Defensively, they've gone from worst to first in opponent 3PT% (27.9% allowed). Rookies Yanic Niederhäuser (5.4 pts, 4.4 reb in 18.4 min) and Kobe Sanders (6.5 pts in 18.8 min) provide spark amid injuries to Bradley Beal and Chris Paul.
Sustainability rests on Leonard's health, but the streak signals postseason potential.
