If one was to lock a group of mad basketball scientists in a room and tell them to design the kind of player they would want for the current NBA era, it’s not hard to figure what they would eventually come up with.

They would want someone “long,” to use one of the euphemisms of the day, lanky with arms that hang down around the knees, a six-foot-seven frame that’s at the same time muscular and lithe.

They’d want someone capable of defending multiple positions and playing them on offence, a wing who could check some bigs, a big who could score against slower players and physically dominate smaller ones. Someone who could shoot three-pointers and attack the basket, because being multi-faceted is the way the game is going.

They’d want someone who could be considered low maintenance, someone “coachable” who could be plugged into a system and thrive.

It wouldn’t take long for those great minds to come up with what they want and they’d emerge unscathed and with a player in mind.

A player like Kawhi Leonard.

Of course, there are many questions to be answered, chemistry issues to figure out, practices to be held and coaching philosophies to be developed. But Leonard is the most intriguing player to put on a Raptors uniform in more than a decade.

And not just because of what he can do for himself. His presence should elevate the team in all facets of the game, which is what makes him stand out more than anyone else on the roster.

His defensive versatility should allow new head coach Nick Nurse to experiment with all kinds of switching schemes that are now in vogue. The Raptors won’t ever have to “hide” Leonard; they can use him in a variety of ways.

It’s the same on offence. When he first broke into the league, the question was whether he could consistently score and shoot or whether he was going to be a one-trick defensive pony.

He’s not at the elite three-point shooting level but his ability to score in different ways while not being a ball-dominant player should allow him — and his teammates — to not miss a beat from one of the most prolific offences in the NBA last season.

It’s the package that makes Leonard good, his own skills and what they do for his teammates.

Just like a panel might draw it up.

But what makes Leonard so good? Here’s a quick look:

WHY HE’S SO GOOD OVERALL

His wingspan may provide a clue. Because his reach is a whopping eight inches longer than an average person, Leonard can guard people bigger than him — while taking advantage on offence because he’s quicker than the bigger player.

Another argument is that basketball is a two-way sport, so you have to consider both sides of the court when picking the game’s best player.

Win share is a stat that tries to divvy up credit for team success to the players — Leonard was fourth in overall win shares (13.6) in his last full season, behind James Harden (15.0), Rudy Gobert (14.3) and Jimmy Butler (13.8).

WHY HE’S SO GOOD ON OFFENCE

He can attack the basket, score off the dribble, hit spot-up jumpers and create shots for his teammates.

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Opponents have to respect his shooting from the three-point line (a high of 44.3 per cent in 2015-16, 38.6 per cent over his career), opening up the floor for his teammates.

In his last full season, he averaged 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game. The scoring average is remarkable because the Spurs are coached by Gregg Popovich, known for spreading the offensive workload for the team. That’s backed by Leonard’s usage rate …

Usage consists of the number of chances a player takes out of the possible chances a team has when he’s on the court. The higher his usage, the more likely he’s the primary scoring option for the team. Russell Westbrook led the league in 2016-17 with a usage rate of 41.7 while averaging a triple double for the entire season (25.4 points, 10.2 assists, 10.1 rebounds). Leonard was eighth with a 31.1 usage rate, yet he still managed to average 25.5 points. Theoretically, if Leonard’s usage was higher (with the ball in his hands more), he’d score even more.

Player efficiency rating (PER) is a per-minute rating of his performance. It’s a complicated formula that sums up a player’s positive accomplishments (field goals, three-pointers etc.) and subtracts the negatives (fouls, turnovers etc.). The league average is 15. Leonard was tied for second in his last full season at 27.6 with Kevin Durant — behind only Westbrook (30.6).

Leonard is a consistent perimeter scorer who has flirted with the elite 50-40-90 club — 50 per cent shooting from the field, 40 per cent from the three-point line, 90 per cent from the free-throw line. His career stats: 49.5-38.6-84.6

WHY LEONARD

IS SO GOOD ON DEFENCE

As good as Leonard is on offence, it’s defence where he made his name. Not only did he win two straight NBA defensive player of the year awards, he finished third in voting the season after.

Considered the NBA’s top one-on-one defender, he guards the other team’s best player, game after game.

He fouls infrequently — he averages more steals per game (1.8) than fouls (1.7) over his career, remarkable considering that he guards the other team’s top player in every game.

His enormous reach makes it difficult for the player he’s guarding to shoot over him.

Conversely, he doesn’t have to worry about the opponent blowing by him because he’s not too close to his man.

Kawhi Leonard strips the ball from Ben McLemore on two straight possessions in a Spurs-Kings game from 2016.

His enormous reach (length) allows him to poke the ball away from an unsuspecting opponent, disrupt passes and swat away shot attempts.

In 2015-16, the Spurs had the league’s No. 1 defence, allowing 96.6 points per 100 possessions. With Leonard on the court, they were even better, allowing 94.7 points per 100 possessions, according to nba.com/stats.

His reach allows him to provide weakside help to contest and block shots.

By being able to guard multiple positions, he can switch easily between a smaller and bigger opponent, giving his coaches flexibility to put different lineups on the floor to take advantage of matchups.