
no1.steph.fan
Only time a FMVP has been given out to a role player bc he played good defense on the opposing superstarI understand that on that team he was playing a role, but there’s a huge difference between playing a role on a loaded team like that and being a role player as who you are in the league. The first one is just a star playing smart basketball and buying into the team culture to win.
He was 22 years old in his 3rd league in the year, no one expected him to be the star and there was no precedent of him playing as a star, they expected him to play his role and he did so exceptionally. Your talent doesn’t determine if you’re a role player or not, Kawhi was a role player at that time and there’s no way around it. And while Kawhi was placed into a system designed for veteran talent to win a championship, that doesn’t make him any less of a role player.