Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard leaves draft-day peers behind

[Spurs Brazil]

After sliding to No. 15 pick, former San Diego State forward excels.

By Brian T. Smith

| The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published 1 hour ago • Updated 1 hour ago

San Antonio • Draft day was supposed to be special for Kawhi Leonard.

At one point, Leonard was told he could go as high as No. 5 overall in the 2011 lottery. At worst, he’d been advised he might drop to 16.

But as players such as Brigham Young University’s Jimmer Fredette went to Sacramento at No. 10 and ex-Colorado guard Alec Burks was selected by the Jazz at No. 12, all Leonard could do was wait.

Finally, Indiana picked him at 15 last June. But the future Pacer immediately became a Spur. Leonard was unexpectedly traded for well-liked San Antonio guard George Hill, and two strong seasons at San Diego State were quickly washed away by draft-day questions about what it felt like to be an overlooked first-round ’tweener dealing with an uncomfortable situation.

"I was just happy to get picked and be on a team," Leonard said


Keep reading: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/jazz/54028134-87/leonard-san-season-kawhi.html.csp

[Southwest Texas Fan]

Nice

[smaka]

Another draft steal for Spurs :)

[racm]

This is the team that picked two All-NBA folks at 28th and 57th. Getting the 15th draft pick is almost tantamount to cheating.

[TDMVPDPOY]

his salary atm is 1.7m

if the spurs make it to the finals, he stands to make 200k each home playoff game revenue sharing...im assuming home sellouts are around 2m.....dont think scrubs 13-15th on the bench get equal share as the main contributors....

[100%duncan]

^TDMVPDPOY per usual

[Legacy]

AWESOME. Whatta' steal we got with Kawhi. Thanks for sharing. :D

[spurraider21]

^100%duncan... always making it unnecessarily difficult to scroll down

[Leetonidas]

^TDMVPDPOY per usual

21,500 posts and I'm still waiting for one that doesn't suck :lol

[ABC]

"...while his athleticism and basketball intelligence have allowed him to overcome a slightly undersized frame."

Undersized frame?

[The ADMIRAL 50]

"...while his athleticism and basketball intelligence have allowed him to overcome a slightly undersized frame."

Undersized frame?

hmmm, also defined Kawhi as a "tweener." Must not have watched a lot of Spurs this season and assumed Kawhi spends a lot of time at the 4, then I could see the "undersized frame" comment. That was one of my biggest fears coming into this season, that Pop would play Kawhi too much as a small ball 4, but fortunately the coach of the year has wisely played him almost exclusively as a small forward, where, if anything, he may even be above average in size for the position.

[therealtruth]

hmmm, also defined Kawhi as a "tweener." Must not have watched a lot of Spurs this season and assumed Kawhi spends a lot of time at the 4, then I could see the "undersized frame" comment. That was one of my biggest fears coming into this season, that Pop would play Kawhi too much as a small ball 4, but fortunately the coach of the year has wisely played him almost exclusively as a small forward, where, if anything, he may even be above average in size for the position.

He played some shooting guard when RJ was here.

[Paranoid Pop]

"...while his athleticism and basketball intelligence have allowed him to overcome a slightly undersized frame."

Undersized frame?

He's really not big for a 3 compared to the Mettas and Lebrons.

[timvp]

I don't think the Jazz could have picked Kawhi even if they thought he'd be great. Utah picking Jimmer's arch enemy? Yeah, no, that wasn't happening.

[Spurs Brazil]

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/jazz/54038240-87/leonard-spurs-kawhi-game.html.csp

Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard is the series’ surprise after two games vs. Jazz
NBA » He has played beyond his years in San Antonio’s wins.

By Brian T. Smith

| The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published May 02 2012 10:44 pm • Last Updated May 02 2012 11:57 pm

San Antonio • It’s hard to wow Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. Sometimes it’s difficult to simply draw a smile.

But after watching his revamped San Antonio club destroy the Jazz 114-83 on Wednesday in Game 2 of a Western Conference first-round playoff series, Popovich took a moment to admire Kawhi Leonard.

The No. 15 overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft played like a proven veteran during the Spurs’ blowout. He poured in 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting during the first half, drilling two 3-pointers and alternating with fellow starter Danny Green as San Antonio’s top player. Leonard then finished with 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting, totaling three 3s, three rebounds and two steals in just 24 minutes and 43 seconds.

It was the type of performance normally reserved for athletes with multiple years in the league and numerous postseason appearances. Wednesday marked only the second playoff game for the former San Diego State standout — the first was Sunday — and Popovich acknowledged the player who was traded for Spurs fan favorite George Hill is quickly turning into something special.

"Kawhi is someone who, I guess it’s fair to say, surprised us. Because you don’t really know when you draft someone. … In Kawhi’s case he’s absorbed information really well," Popovich said. "He performs his role, he plays defense, he runs down the floor, and he’s got a way about him where he’s not so anxious to show us that he has every move in the world. … He’s level-headed and takes things when they come."

Leonard has stolen from the Jazz.

Spurs veteran forward Stephen Jackson came off the bench to serve as the X-Factor in Game 1. But Leonard’s been the best overall non-star through two contests. He’s averaging 11.5 points on 66.7 percent shooting, while hitting 4 of 7 3s and pulling down 2.5 rebounds per game.

And he’s doing it all as a smooth, confident 20-year-old rookie.

"He blends in with everybody else. … He plays his role and a lot of rookies can’t do that, and he’s been really good at it," Popovich said.

[siraulo23]

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/jazz/54038240-87/leonard-spurs-kawhi-game.html.csp

"He performs his role, he plays defense, he runs down the floor, and he’s got a way about him where he’s not so anxious to show us that he has every move in the world. … He’s level-headed and takes things when they come."



I interpret it as Kawhi showing pop a lot of upside on his offensive game

We've been seeing it throughout the season and he's already added that step back j and it's pretty effective already

[T Park]

In other words he plays within himself the whole time never wanting to try and call his own number.

Hopefully he wont be rattled by the game 3 crowd. If they can survive the initial push they should be fine.

[DieHardSpursFan1537]

We have to get a contract extension with him soon. He is the future of the Spurs franchise.

[GrandeDavid]

What I love about Kawhi is that he's so silent and serious, letting his game do the talking. He never gets too high nor too low, and that's why he'll be a very good and perhaps great player for years to come.

[Juanobili]

What I love about Kawhi is that he's so silent and serious, letting his game do the talking. He never gets too high nor too low, and that's why he'll be a very good and perhaps great player for years to come.

just like another great player on our team :toast

Kawhi is da future

[T Park]

We have to get a contract extension with him soon. He is the future of the Spurs franchise.

Why now when you can get him on the cheap for another 3 years?

[ace3g]

For Leonard’s teammates, who have come to regard the soft-spoken 20-year-old as the type of player who could make it stone-faced through a tickle fight, the moment was one that had to be seen to be believed.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before,” Manu Ginobili said of Leonard’s grin. “Not for more than a second. Or a fourth of a second.”

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2012/05/03/spurs-can%E2%80%99t-help-but-smile-at-play-of-stoic-leonard/

[Basketball Power]

He's really not big for a 3 compared to the Mettas and Lebrons.

Who is?

[sa_butta]

Love this kid, he has great potential and his character has Spurs written all over him. Over time he will only get better.

[Spurs9]

his salary atm is 1.7m

if the spurs make it to the finals, he stands to make 200k each home playoff game revenue sharing...im assuming home sellouts are around 2m.....dont think scrubs 13-15th on the bench get equal share as the main contributors....

Wow I never knew that.

[cherylsteele]

I thought the Pacers picked him then traded his right to the Spurs for George hill

[Mugen]

Kawhi's shot has greatly improved but to me the biggest surprise is how much better he looks now athletically.

At the start of the season, I thought he was an average athlete at best who'd have trouble guarding 2s and the quicker 3s. But as the season has progressed, he's shown to be a pretty good leaper with solid handles. I'm also happy that Pop has loosened the reins a little bit and let him create off the dribble and push it on the fastbreak.

Sky's the limit for him. One of my top 5 fav players on the team right now. Best draft day move since taking TP.

[DPG21920]

He just has so much potential and a great attitude. Tomorrows game is a big test and I'm really looking forward to watching Kawhi. He's hard to peg because of his demeanor, but he certainly has considerable upside on both ends of the floor.

[024]

i'm not as high on leonard as some spur fans. i think he'll be an above average defender with the potential to be a pretty decent lock down defender. i still don't see him becoming an all star caliber offensive player though. hard to really find a NBA comparison for him though because he's not an explosive athlete like marion or iguodola, more talented than most average SFs, but not offensively talented enough to be a scoring SF like sjax. maybe he can be a more consistent john salmons.

[hooperflash]

i'm not as high on leonard as some spur fans. i think he'll be an above average defender with the potential to be a pretty decent lock down defender. i still don't see him becoming an all star caliber offensive player though. hard to really find a NBA comparison for him though because he's not an explosive athlete like marion or iguodola, more talented than most average SFs, but not offensively talented enough to be a scoring SF like sjax. maybe he can be a more consistent john salmons.

we'll see in due time, I expect big things out of him.

[smaka]

I think he can be one of the most important guys in our team in the future. He is talented, he has athleticism and has shown a lot of improvement during his rookie year. Great perspective for Spurs!

[hooperflash]

Rookie of the Year Nominee Video (http://www.nba.com/video/channels/award_nominees/2012/05/01/20120501_kia_leonard_roy_nominee.nba/)

[007nites]

What I love about Kawhi is that he's so silent and serious, letting his game do the talking. He never gets too high nor too low, and that's why he'll be a very good and perhaps great player for years to come.

That's what makes him a true Spur.

[ace3g]

Kawhi has made major strides since this:

BGJW9w6_A_I&feature=plcp

[Gagnrath]

21,500 posts and I'm still waiting for one that doesn't suck :lol

Wow you still read them? You seem to be a glutton for punishment, I think most people stopped about 15,000 posts ago; I sort of figured one or two might have made decent on the million monkeys with typewriters making Shakespeare theory but I'll take your word for it if you've read them.

[xellos88330]

Kawhi has made major strides since this:

BGJW9w6_A_I&feature=plcp

My favorite part about that, was the next meeting. Gay was locked up something fierce. It says so much about the kids character and desire to get better. Leonard is going to have a bright future in the NBA and as a San Antonio Spurs if he continues to get better.