Kawhi Leonard's Return Could Provide Perfect Sendoff for Spurs Vets

Kawhi Leonard is about to take on a very heavy mantle.

His San Antonio Spurs teammates—Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili—are carrying what has arguably been the NBA's most successful franchise over the last 17 years. But as Leonard returns from injury this week, the opportunity and responsibility should officially pass to him.

He was primed to take over following his performance in the 2014 NBA Finals, but two separate injuries put that on hold. He missed San Antonio's season opener with an eye infection, then 17 of the last 19 games with a torn ligament in his shooting hand.

That's nearly half of the Spurs' season, and it's really like two different teams have played those halves.

	W-L	Points	Points Against
With Leonard	15-7	100.5	94.5
Without Leonard	9-9	103.6	103

The Spurs simply reach a higher level defensively when Leonard is playing, and the differences on that end are even more pronounced when you look at his defensive and net ratings.

When Leonard's on the floor, the Spurs are giving up 94.4 points per 100 possessions. It's the best individual defensive rating on the team and nearly six points better than the Spurs' overall rating of 100.3

	ORtg	DRtg	NetRtg
Kawhi Leonard	106.5	94.4	plus-12.1
Manu Ginobili	107	98.9	plus-8.1
Tim Duncan	103.1	98.6	plus-4.5
Tony Parker	102	103.9	minus-2.0
Team Rating	104.4	100.3	plus-4.0

Numbers like those say Leonard is already San Antonio's most impactful player. But is he good enough to carry the Spurs to a third straight Finals appearance?

Immediate Impact

As you can see from the video above, Leonard had already become one of the most feared defenders in the NBA by the 2013 Finals. LeBron James, perhaps the most gifted offensive player of all time, couldn't hide his frustration when he saw Leonard check in.

The next season, Leonard took his game to another level, winning Finals MVP and "wreaking havoc on LeBron," according to John McTigue of ESPN Stats & Information:

"Only 17 percent of LeBron’s touches against Leonard in the Finals have resulted in a field goal attempt. That’s half the rate James has against all other defenders. That means Leonard has been successful forcing him to pass the ball or turn it over."

McTigue also showed that James got fewer touches when Leonard was on him, and that he drove less.

If Leonard can do that against the player who's widely regarded as the world's best over most of the last decade, he can do it against just about any wing.

Granted, different matchups pose different problems. But Leonard has the size and athleticism to meet a number of challenges.

His 6'7" frame makes him primarily a wing defender, but Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has put him on point guards in key moments.

Most team defenses are anchored by rim protectors, players who clean up others' mistakes. But with Leonard's ability to shut down an offense at the point of attack, San Antonio's back line is spared some of that responsibility.

In that way, he not only takes pressure off guards and wings who no longer have to defend the opposition's best perimeter threat, but also big men who don't have to clean up as many mistakes.

	Spurs DRtg	Opponent's eFG%
Kawhi Leonard ON the Floor	94.4	46.0%
Kawhi Leonard OFF the Floor	103.7	49.8%

Those skills will be even more important when the game slows down and defense becomes more important in the postseason. It's there where Leonard can truly make his mark. Just like he did in 2014.

A Proper Sendoff and Turn to the Future

Duncan will turn 39 this season, Ginobili's 37 and both are in the final year of their current contracts. Neither has said whether he's retiring, but the situation lends itself to speculation.

The perfect sendoff for Duncan would culminate in a sixth title this summer. That would tie him with Michael Jordan and put him one championship ahead of Kobe Bryant, the one player who might have an argument against Duncan as his era's best.

Then there's Parker, who's obviously not retiring but has shown signs of age as well. The 32-year-old point guard has been in the league since he was a teenager, and he's dealt with various injuries since the 2009-10 season. This season alone, he's missed 14 games.

Even still, all three are critical and will have to be really good to win another Finals. But Leonard has to be great...again.

He was crucial in helping Duncan getting his fifth title, thanks in large part to his expanding offensive game and confidence therein.

	PTS	AST	FG%	3P%
2013-14 Regular Season	12.8	2.0	52.2%	37.9%
2013-14 Postseason	14.3	1.7	51.0%	41.9%
2014-15 Regular Season	15.2	2.5	45.4%	31.1%

He has the rest of this season to get really comfortable as a first or second option with Parker. And if he stays healthy, his shooting percentages should come back up, giving his numbers another slight bump.

That was the problem early in the season, as Leonard played several games while dealing with the eye and hand problems. According to Spurs Nation's Jeff McDonald, Leonard talked about his eye following a November loss to the New Orleans Pelicans:

"

My right eye, the vision’s not all the way back yet. Hopefully I can heal up soon. I’ve just got to keep competing so I can get used to it and get my rhythm going.

It just has to run its course. The doctor (team eye specialist Dr. Ed Rashid) said there were some military guys who had it for weeks and some for months.

"

With those issues presumably behind him, Leonard is ready to shine. Or to bring back the biblical analogy, assume the mantle.

If he leads the Spurs to back-to-back titles—which would be a first for Duncan, Parker, Ginobili and Popovich—he'll not only give the veterans a proper sendoff, but establish himself as one of the league's very best players.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats and salary figures are courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com and are current as of Jan. 15, 2015.

Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.