How Kawhi Leonard Can Move into MVP Discussion During 2015-16 NBA Season

Kawhi Leonard has won an NBA Finals MVP and a Defensive Player of the Year award, so one of the few major accolades he's missing is the league MVP honor.

The 23-year-old small forward certainly has plenty of time to assert himself as a legitimate contender, but Leonard has slowly taken over a leading offensive role for the San Antonio Spurs, building on his defensive value. Consequently, MVP-caliber seasons seem to be rapidly approaching.

Could the first of them be next season, in 2015-16?

Now, Leonard likely won't win an MVP in the near future since LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry, James Harden, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook still exist.

But Leonard can move himself into that discussion by continuing to dominate a couple of areas of his game while becoming more proficient in a few others.

Maintain His Defensive Prowess

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Perhaps it goes without saying that the 2014-15 Defensive Player of the Year is a pretty solid defender.

According to Basketball-Reference.com, Leonard paced the league with a 96.4 defensive rating and 2.3 steals per game, posting a plus-5.0 on-off defensive split. His 4.84 real defensive plus-minus, per ESPN.com, was the third-highest mark.

Whether Draymond Green deserved this season's DPOY honor over Leonard is a valid question, but it's not important in the current context. Leonard has solidified his place among the NBA's most feared on- and off-ball defenders.

As long as that continues, Leonard will possess a major advantage over the offensively dominant, defensively challenged MVP contenders.

Knock Down More Mid-Range Jumpers

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Leonard's development as a shooter is undeniable. He entered the league as a mediocre offensive option, but Spurs shooting coach Chip Engelland has helped Leonard progress into being a legitimate threat all over the floor.

But that, by any stretch of the imagination, doesn't mean Leonard has peaked. He still needs to improve his mid-range jumper—from 16 feet to the three-point line.

Basketball-Reference.com numbers show that in 2014-15, Leonard hoisted a career-high 18.7 percent of his shots from that range but knocked down 41.6, the lowest mark since his rookie campaign. In 2013-14, Leonard connected on 50.5 percent of such attempts.

That drop was largely a product of Leonard's more aggressive offensive nature: he wasn't deferring to Tony Parker or Tim Duncan as often as years past. Leonard must become more consistent at that range, since the amount of shots he'll take from beyond 16 feet only figures to rise as he becomes the focal point of the offense.

Dish More Assists

"With great power comes great responsibility," goes the famous movie line.

In basketball terms, it ought to read like this: "With great offensive ability comes help defense; With help defense comes an open teammate."

Throughout the Spurs' first-round matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2015 playoffs, the Clips have shown a willingness to double-team Leonard away from the basket. Prior to this series—let alone the season—teams rarely sent another man to defend Leonard.

Moving forward, that's not going to change. Other franchises will do the same.

Consequently, he must learn how to attack defenses with his vision. Leonard can draw opponents in dribble-drive situations or while posting up, so he needs to locate the open teammate and fire an accurate pass.

LeBron is a terrific passer. He's won four MVPs. Leonard should probably follow in those footsteps—not just for the award, but for the betterment of the post-Duncan Spurs.

Bury Unassisted Three-Pointers

Leonard's three-point percentage dipped to a career-worst 34.9 clip during the recent campaign. Early-season and post-injury slumps contributed to the low mark, but simply improving that won't make Leonard an MVP candidate.

He needs to make a pull-up three-pointer a viable option in his arsenal.

According to NBA.com, 65 of Leonard's 67 season three-pointers were assisted; very seldom did the 6'7" swingman even attempt a create-your-own triple.

Part of that is by design, since Gregg Popovich didn't want Leonard taking his own threes, as noted by ESPN's J.A. Adande. Leonard said:

"

I've been working on it since my second year coming into the league. It's all a process, and Pop getting to know the person and the player. When I first came in, he didn't want me shooting no pull-ups in transition. Just seeing me work at it in practice and it translating into the game, he gets more comfortable and confident in me doing it.

"

Granted, though he doesn't need to fashion himself as a Stephen Curry replicate, netting off-the-dribble, pull-up trifectas would add a lethal element to Leonard's game. Additionally, if he drilled some above the break—where he shot a meager 28.4 percent this year—it would make Leonard doubly dangerous.

Because, if defenders must close out hard at the perimeter, words can hardly do justice to the problem Leonard would become.

Attack the Basket off the Dribble

The borderline-terrifying notion about the 2015 version of Leonard is how much offensive potential the San Diego State product still has.

He averaged a career-high 16.5 points per outing this year, but Leonard hasn't displayed a consistent desire to attack the rim off the bounce. Perhaps it's not that he doesn't want to, it's that the Spurs' offensive system does not yet call for Leonard to create for himself often enough.

Soon, that time will arrive. Being able to challenge a defender while preparing to overcome a larger body at the rim is Leonard's next, most important step in his development.

Plus, should Leonard develop an ability to hit unassisted long-range shots, defenders will be forced to make an unenviable decision: Play him tight at the perimeter, or allow Leonard to attack the rim?

He's already a tremendous defender. If Leonard becomes a more versatile asset on the offensive end, he'll join the MVP conversation in 2015-16.

Unless otherwise noted, stats are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and are accurate as of April 28.

Follow Bleacher Report NBA writer David Kenyon on Twitter: @Kenyon19_BR.