He declared yesterday and said he will hire an agent.
http://goaztecs.cstv.com/sports/m-ba...041411aah.html
Height: 6-7
Weight: 225 lbs
Birthday: 06/29/1991
College: San Diego State
DraftExpress
nbadraft
He declared yesterday and said he will hire an agent.
http://goaztecs.cstv.com/sports/m-ba...041411aah.html
Blood, sweat and tears: Kawhi Leonard and his path to the pros, at SI.com - http://bit.ly/lgY4G5
Sigh. There always seems to be a "can't miss" SF picked in the top 10 that does. Hopefully, Kahwi breaks the mold.
Por favor.
Why does that sound so familiar...
We can guard small ball fours/Big 3's now. Leonard should be able to develop as a shooter and helps our rebounding. I think he was comfortably inside the top 10, and wouldn't have been shocked anywhere after 6.
Defense, motor, willingness to improve...all things "Spur".
Positives
Explosive leaper
Freakishly long arms
Good, developing body
Incredible motor
Excellent rebounder
Developing offensive player
Negatives
A bit of a tweener
Lacks great lateral quickness
Needs to improve perimeter game
Can disappear in games
June 7 Update: Leonard started working out for the first time on Sunday. He had an excellent workout in Charlotte against a number of top forwards including Jordan Hamilton, Chris Singleton and Tobias Harris.
His next big test comes on Tuesday in Washington with the Wizards. Leonard is a guy the Wizards are looking at very closely with the sixth pick in the draft. A great workout there could seal the deal.
He also has an intriguing workout next week with the Cavs. While No. 4 seems high for Leonard, don't totally discount it. One Cavs source says he's in the mix. He fits a need, can play right now and still has upside.
May 28 Update: Leonard tested poorly in Chicago. He had a 32-inch maximum vertical. He had a subpar 11.45 second lane agility drill. He bench pressed 185 pounds three times. Those aren't great numbers for a 6-7 swingman with a reputation as a great athlete.
While Leonard was never regarded as the most explosive athlete in the draft, it's hard, if you watched him at San Diego State, to come to the conclusion that he's a below-average athlete. Leonard plays an athletic game on both ends of the floor. He's not Shawn Marion, but he's not less athletic than Kevin Love. No way.
Kevin Durant also struggled in this setting and much was made about it before the draft. If you watched his highlight reel dunk against the Mavs this week, it's pretty hard to make the argument he's a poor athlete.
One theory about Leonard's poor testing is that he did not warm up prior to doing the test. Because Leonard skipped drills, he sat in a freezing gym (and it was freezing) for an hour and then went straight to the tests. I saw this happen and we commented on it when we were broadcasting the combine. Everyone else had gotten 45 minutes of drill work in to loosen up. It makes a difference.
May 26 Update: In a bit of a surprise, Leonard measured only a 32-inch vertical and could bench the 185-pound bar only three times.
May 23 Update: Leonard skipped the NBA draft combine drills on Thursday and Friday, but decided on Friday morning to put on a shooting show for NBA executives as they walked in the gym. As I reported last week, Leonard has been working on his jump shot and was shooting very well in Vegas. He also shot the ball well in the brief 15 minutes or so before the combine began and had quite a crowd of NBA GMs and execs watching closely.
His measurements (7-3 wingspan and 8-10 standing reach) were good enough as well to make him a plausible (though slightly undersized) NBA power forward. He measured bigger than Blake Griffin and on par with Kevin Love. So even if the shooting thing doesn't work out, his rebounding prowess and motor might allow him to make a living at the 4.
May 12 Update: Kawhi Leonard is a big-time prospect. The San Diego State forward remains a bit of an enigma to NBA scouts. He ranked as just the 56th-best high school prospect in the class of 2009 by ESPNU and didn't really come on until his senior year in high school.
As a freshman he drew raves for his athletic ability, motor and rebounding, but scouts struggled to see exactly how he fit at the next level. Last season he helped lead the Aztecs to one of the best records in college basketball and drew serious attention from scouts. But after the season, the NBA was still largely split on what his pro potential was.
While we had Leonard in the top 14 of our Big Board most of the year, a number of NBA executives were much more pessimistic about his future. They pointed to his "tweener" status and subpar perimeter shooting as concerns. A few weeks ago, one GM told me he thought Leonard was, at best, a role player at the next level.
I respectfully disagree, as do a handful of NBA execs and scouts. I was blown away by Leonard at the workouts. Not only is his physical profile impressive (huge hands, long wing span, NBA body), but also he's much more skilled than your typical high-energy forward.
Leonard has been working on his jump shot since the season ended and was stroking it from NBA 3-point range the two days I was in the gym. And he demonstrated excellent ball-handling skills for a player his size -- both are prerequisites for an NBA small forward. He also has the ability to guard the 2, 3 and 4 at the next level.
Leonard proved to be a real gym rat as well. He was the first guy in the gym and the last one to leave both days I was there. On Tuesday I arrived at 9 a.m. and left at 5:30 -- Leonard was there the whole time working on various things; he must have shot 1,000 jumpers.
I've been trying to find a good NBA comp for him all year, and I think the best may be the Blazers' Gerald Wallace. Leonard has the same type of motor and toughness and is more skilled than you think. If he keeps shooting the ball like he did Tuesday and Wednesday, I believe he could end up being a top-5 pick in the draft. We've moved him up to No. 5 on our Big Board after seeing what he brings to the table.
He may not be a superstar at the next level, but it's hard to figure how he misses as a 10-year NBA player with that work ethic, physical profile and motor.
Apr 14 Update: Leonard has declared for the 2011 NBA Draft. Leonard is one of the most unique players in the country. He can play both the three and the four thanks to long arms, excellent athleticism and a great motor. He's a terrific rebounder as well. He doesn't have a polished offensive game yet, but there's a lot of potential there. He could be a Shawn Marion-type player. A likely lottery pick.
Mar 15 Update: The Good: A long, athletic forward with huge hands, a great motor and the ability to score from just about everywhere. He's a great rebounder too.
The Bad: Another player without a well-defined position. Ideally he'd be a few inches taller. He's not a great shooter yet. Can disappear sometimes in big games.
The Upside: Last year we had Leonard listed as a sleeper. Now that he plays on the No. 6 team in the country, that sort of talk has died down. But now the expectations may be almost too high for him. He's still developing his game offensively, but when you watch him, it's hard not to see what makes him special. NBA scouts love guys with intangibles, and Leonard appears to have them.
and that guy from Hungary is only 21-22
Chad Ford had Kawhi ranked #7 overall and projected to the Bobcats at #9. So Spurs got him at 15.
We know he's a great rebounder and has a great work ethic. My concern is his offensive game. 44% shooter last year and doesn't have much of a perimeter game.
Hollinger's Draft Rater had him at #5, behind only Irving, Williams, Tristan Thompson, and Valanciunas.
He's definitely has some work to do offensively but the pros way outweigh the cons with this kid.
I didn't even take much of a look at Kawhi, thinking he was out of our range. Was getting nervous about all this Euro-Lithuanian talk. Couldn't be happier with the pick.
The following are quotes from Kawhi Leonard following his selection in the NBA Draft.
Q. Kawhi, what does it feel like?
Kawhi Leonard: I feel great right now. I got picked to be on an NBA team. I worked hard. I finally accomplished my dream now, but it's not over yet. I've got a lot of work to do to make an impact in the league, and I'm ready to do any type of work I've got to do.
Q. There were reports that the Pacers and the Spurs have made a deal sending you to San Antonio; if true, how would you feel playing in San Antonio?
Kawhi Leonard: I feel good. I had a meeting with them, and I got a great vibe from them. Just any team I'm on, I'm happy with right now. I'm just going in, trying to do whatever the coach wants me to do to make the team successful.
Q. If that report isn't correct, you're going to a Pacer team that has a lot of players of your position, small forwards. What can you do to separate yourself and get yourself on the floor?
Kawhi Leonard: I can do a lot on the court. I'm very versatile. The coach drafted me, and he must have a plan in his head, and whatever his plan is, I'm ready for it.
Q. Your emphasis on rebounding in defense, talk about with the Pacers that, can get you immediate playing time, because they struggled on the defensive end, in the post, especially. Talk about how you're looking forward to that opportunity?
Kawhi Leonard: Yes, I take pride in defense. I'm just going to go in, do the same thing I did in college, get some rebounds and help my teammates find ways to win games.
I think Bertans did. Or did you mean in the main forum?
Oh yea... derp derp.... :P
Supposedly this guy has the ability to score in the post with regularity. If it holds true in the NBA, this kid will be a mismatch in the Spurs favor on both sides of the floor. He can provide a halfcourt option if playing an up tempo style of play which (judging from the personnel at this point in time) exploiting his size advantage against most of the 3 guard lineups teams use to counter the Spurs attack and disrupt transition/early offense.
Last season, the Spurs rebounders weren't controlling the ball very well and it was often tipped around. This kid with his height, wingspan, HUGE hands, and apparent knack for rebounding, could very well solve a majority of this problem granting the Spurs extra possessions or actually completing a defensive sequence. If his effort and energy are as good as advertised, I am completely thrilled with this pickup and a great move by the FO.
the last time we did any through research on players, they all got picked ahead of our pick, lets just say i reckon some other teams scouts troll here for info
JMcDonald_SAEN Jeff McDonald
Kawai Leonard and Corey Joseph are expetcted to arrive Saturday.
If Pop plays this guy with Blair/Bonner I will throw up.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)