Bowenesque or Poor Man's Bowen?

[Vash StampedE]

Was Kawhi's Game 3 performance a former or a latter? I think it's the former with Kawhi playing excellent defense and hitting those corner threes that Bowen also loved to. I believe he can become a Bowen-like player for the Spurs but with his great work ethic and discipline, I think he can exceed that and maybe become an All-Star someday.

[lmbebo]

I don't think he's a bowen defender. Not sure he'll ever be. He's damn good and only improving. More athletic.
More well rounded as a bball player too.

[szkorhetz]

Leonard is a better offensive player now than Bowne has ever been. Period.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

he's not as good defender yet but he is a way better ball handler

[greyforest]

no one is going to play defense like bowen since the nba changed its defense rules

[slick'81]

hes a better shooter then bruce at this age and in 3-4 years dare i say dpoy

[Proxy]

He's got Bruce beat on overall offense and rebounding. He has the potential to be as good of a 1v1 defender, but he isn't there yet.

[MannyIsGod]

The comparison to Bowen is one of the laziest things around. He's much bigger than Bowen and he's already light years ahead of Bowen at that age. They don't defend in the same way and I doubt Kawhi will ever be able to go through and around screens with the efficiency that Bowen did.

Kawhi's ceiling is much higher than Bruce's ever was. Bruce was never able to guard a player like Griffin. Bruce never led one man breaks the way Kawhi is capable of.

People really need to stop the comparison because it honestly makes no damn sense.

[Bill_Brasky]

Rich man's Bowen, tbh.

Very rich.

[picnroll]

Doesn't move his feet as well as Bowen to be as good a perimeter defender.

[SpursIndonesia]

Doesn't have Bowen's lateral quickness, scrappiness, mean streak, and "dirtiness" as a man to man defender, but he's already a more complete basketball player than Bowen ever was, with the potential of an all star caliber player (considering his attitude & mental approach to the game). This kid learning curve is very steep, with his physical tools and strong willingness to improve, he's a BIG part of Spurs future.

[NRHector]

give him time he's just a rookie and look at how he's handling the playoffs pressure, so far he's handling it better than some vets

[roycrikside]

Green is far closer to Bowen on both ends of the floor than Kawhi is. Leonard, like all great players, is something other. He's not comparable to any one Spur since I started following them in 1989. He's got bits and pieces of a few people.

[tesseractive]

Green is developing more in the Bowen mode, though it's too early to say if he'll be a true stopper or not.

Leonard is more in the mold of guys like Sean El liot or (a poor man's) Scottie Pippen -- a great all-around basketball player where defense is one of the things he's great at.

[Cry Havoc]

The comparison to Bowen is one of the laziest things around. He's much bigger than Bowen and he's already light years ahead of Bowen at that age. They don't defend in the same way and I doubt Kawhi will ever be able to go through and around screens with the efficiency that Bowen did.

Kawhi's ceiling is much higher than Bruce's ever was. Bruce was never able to guard a player like Griffin. Bruce never led one man breaks the way Kawhi is capable of.

People really need to stop the comparison because it honestly makes no damn sense.

dear god, this. Completely different players.

[SCdac]

More similar to prime Shawn Marion, and his do-it-all kind of game IMO.

He's got that pogo stick-like athleticism and awareness of where to be on the court (on both ends) just like Marion.

Better release on this shot than the "Matrix", but Marion could hit a three here and there too.

[boutons_deux]

Bruce hit some 3s, sometimes, and played D. but he was a poor rebounder.

It took Bruce some years to develop as a defender. rookie fucking Leonard has plenty of time to develop.

[The_Worlds_finest]

You guys are crazy...Although I love Bruce and his block on Billups in the finals in probably my fav play of all time, Kawhi is a monster! Hes a super freak like Rick James bitch

[Jumi]

Scottie Pippen

[TDMVPDPOY]

his not as good as bowen yet on defense due to KL giving the man to much spacing to operate and gambling to disrupt from behind with his long wingspan which bowen never had the luxury....if KL can work on fighting for better positioning where his man wants to go, then he will end up better then bowen....KL is a 2-way player, i dont think he can post up volume stats but nothing is impossible with him...since the the sky is the limit for him playing at a all time high on the greatest stage

[therealtruth]

Kawhi forces more turnovers than Bowen. You can pencil him for a steal every game.

[Vash StampedE]

He's got Bruce beat on overall offense and rebounding. He has the potential to be as good of a 1v1 defender, but he isn't there yet.

Yah I also think that he has that potential, not just being a great 1v1 defender but a great all around player seeing that it this is just his 1st season. I wonder if Bowen was immediately the kind of defender he was recognized of during his rookie season. Was he?

[leemajors]

who cares, he's here

[DAF86]

The comparison to Bowen is one of the laziest things around. He's much bigger than Bowen and he's already light years ahead of Bowen at that age. They don't defend in the same way and I doubt Kawhi will ever be able to go through and around screens with the efficiency that Bowen did.

Kawhi's ceiling is much higher than Bruce's ever was. Bruce was never able to guard a player like Griffin. Bruce never led one man breaks the way Kawhi is capable of.

People really need to stop the comparison because it honestly makes no damn sense.

Pretty much this, Leonard and Bowen don't have a lot in common.

[urunobili]

Let's revisit the issue after he provides the Spurs with three rings as Bowen did. For sure he'll be a top dog to build around after the Duncan era TBH

[Sa_Spursfan20]

Kawhi Leonard is Kawhi Leonard. He's his own player. Just enjoy watching this kid grow into whatever he becomes.

[hooperflash]

http://www.mediafire.com/conv/75184fb8286158c7a98cdbad4740c1e7658a13a5a3dd799a56 06c1e944a3626b6g.jpg

[skulls138]

Bowen was, percentage wise, the #1 three point shooter in the league the season the Spurs won their second title.

I think comparing these two is a good comparison but Kawhi will be more around the bucket defensively, blocking shots and getting rebounds while Bowen wouldve been more like what Green was doing.

[Marcus Bryant]

Brilliant trade. He plays like a 30 year old. There are plenty of players who never figure it out, but he has already in his rookie season.

[TDMVPDPOY]

green atm defensively is what bowen is

KL is something else...he has a higher ceiling defensively that can fill the defensive stat sheet....ceiling is probably scottie pippen, with flooring maybe geral wallace without the poor shooting

[Buddy Holly]

People realize Bowen got here when he was 30, right? Kawhi is 20. Comparing the two isn't really fair. Kawhi will be a very very good player for us no doubt.

[GSH]

I'm going to re-use this from the Game 2 Grades thread, because I think it's a big part of what Kawhi is doing on defense. I was watching him closely again today, out on the perimeter. They just kept trying to get him to leave his feet, so they could jump into him and draw the foul. But Kawhi just doesn't bite. The kid is just amazing. I don't know if he'll ever be another Bowen, but it's not really fair to make those comparisons anyway - especially in his rookie year. If they gave a Defensive ROY, it's Kawhi, hands down. He's a damned good defender, and he's just causing a world of problems for perimeter shooters. And he still manages to come in and help around the basket, and pick up much-needed boards.




One thing that has really been getting my attention about Kawhi's permieter defense lately is just how good he has become about keeping his feet, and not biting on pump fakes. I see guys who have been in the league for years - good players, who can't help themselves. Kawhi almost never bites now. It's amazing for a rookie. (Green is pretty good, but less consistent about it.) He may not be throwing up huge offensive numbers, but he's way, way ahead of the curve defensively.

[lurker23]

The comparison to Bowen is one of the laziest things around. He's much bigger than Bowen and he's already light years ahead of Bowen at that age. They don't defend in the same way and I doubt Kawhi will ever be able to go through and around screens with the efficiency that Bowen did.

Kawhi's ceiling is much higher than Bruce's ever was. Bruce was never able to guard a player like Griffin. Bruce never led one man breaks the way Kawhi is capable of.

People really need to stop the comparison because it honestly makes no damn sense.

This is pretty much spot on. As easy as it may be to try to compare potentially good-to-great defenders to Bowen, Kawhi is so stylistically different that it's not really fair to either of them. Per 36 minutes, Kawhi so far gets more than twice the rebounds and almost twice the steals that Bowen did in his career. Obviously it will take a while for Kawhi to gain the experience and savvy that Bowen had as a defender.

Ironically, the thing that they might have most in common is the corner 3. Thankfully for the Spurs, Kawhi's offensive ceiling goes much higher than a simple spot-up shooter.

[MannyIsGod]

While I think eventually Kawhi will be a much better overall player than Bowen, one thing that Bowen could do was simply make certain players invisible. Ray Allen, for example. Kawhi will play solid defense on certain players and offer up a form of "defensive containment" but Bruce would just make it seem like some players weren't even in the arena.

[Spurtacus]

While I think eventually Kawhi will be a much better overall player than Bowen, one thing that Bowen could do was simply make certain players invisible. Ray Allen, for example. Kawhi will play solid defense on certain players and offer up a form of "defensive containment" but Bruce would just make it seem like some players weren't even in the arena.

:tu

[Spurs Brazil]

Behind the face: Leonard’s comeback

Column by Buck Harvey

LOS ANGELES — They didn’t like Kawhi Leonard Saturday. They were in awe of him.

A few members of the Spurs’ brass stood in a Staples Center hallway trying to find the proper superlative. And, fitting of Leonard, the best compliment was a non-verbal one.

Keep reading: http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2012/05/19/behind-the-face-leonard%E2%80%99s-comeback/