If healthy, I don't think any team will be able to contain Kawhi in the Playoffs.

[look_at_g_shred]

Let's look at the facts here. Kawhi is a sophomore that is showing us more than what we expected out of him this year. From the beginning of the season up until now, he has made leaps and bounds (understatement). I believe it all started that bulls game during the RRT. We saw him break out of his shell and shine. He has added many aspects to his game this year. I think back to the OKC game a few days ago, and KL was sizing up Durant and shoving jumpers down his throat. He even had Durant on his heels trying to guard him. Something he did not do last year. In the Playoffs, the opposing teams tend to shut down one sided players (Green, Bonner, Neal, Blair, sometimes Parker) If Kawhi keeps his great play up, it wil be difficult to stop KL because he has so much to his game now. He's even started to become a playmaker. Making the right pass, and getting players like Tim and Tiago easy looks under the rim. All in all, with an all around player like Kawhi who can now get his own shot and not rely on Manu or Parker, he's a tough match-up for anyone in the Playoffs, and outside of LBJ, I don't think anyone can stop him. Thoughts?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-x_ZwB3Bi8

[Richie]

Leonard only hit one jumper with Durant challenging him. He got a number of good looks from ball movement that had the defence scrambling, and the Thunder switched Ibaka/Perkins on to him on the pick and roll and he made them pay.

If he tries to take Durant off the dribble for that mid range jumper I think Durant will have the length to bother him. He finished 8-17 from the field, I'd like to see a video which included his misses to see where the Thunder gave him trouble.

[look_at_g_shred]

Leonard only hit one jumper with Durant challenging him. He got a number of good looks from ball movement that had the defence scrambling, and the Thunder switched Ibaka/Perkins on to him on the pick and roll and he made them pay.

If he tries to take Durant off the dribble for that mid range jumper I think Durant will have the length to bother him. He finished 8-17 from the field, I'd like to see a video which included his misses to see where the Thunder gave him trouble.

He also had a some jumpers like that against Deng and the Bulls last month. Hopefully it becomes a consistent part of his game. I see where you are coming from though.

[Richie]

He also had a some jumpers like that against Deng and the Bulls last month. Hopefully it becomes a consistent part of his game. I see where you are coming from though.

I love his mid range jumper, my point was more about Durants ability to alter shots with his insane length. Kawhi has shown he can score over good defenders like Deng which is excellent, but while Durant isn't an all defensive player his length could bother Leonard.

[TrainOfThought5]

"These playoffs arent for him"

.... the words of a man who most likely wont give him the keys to the offense and touches necessary for OP's (incredibly optimistic) prediction. i'd love to see what he could as the #1 option on this team, but i dont think we'll see that while the Big 3 are here (and healthy)

[Dex]

http://i.imgur.com/YpNor7l.gif

[SupremeGuy]

Am I the only one really worried about his knee? He's too young for knee problems dammit. :cry

[Man In Black]

Who says he's UNHEALTHY? if you think that, then Pop has you right where he wants the media and the opposition to think.

That dude is fine. Pop just understands that there are games and then there are big games with even more importance. Even for a player as young as Kawhi, he understands from a team aspect that resting him with Tim means that BOTH PLAYERS will be able to produce even more as opposed to having just a rested Tim and a game but kind of tired, Kawhi.

[TheSkeptic]

I love his mid range jumper, my point was more about Durants ability to alter shots with his insane length. Kawhi has shown he can score over good defenders like Deng which is excellent, but while Durant isn't an all defensive player his length could bother Leonard.

Deng's not that legit of a defender or all-star this year. DRating's at 104, PER 14.6, etc. I think he might be playing with an injury of some sort tbh. And since Kawhi is quick and lengthy, he was able to take advantage of Deng although there's no question that KL played a fantastic game.

I really like Kawhi and I have no problem with him experimenting since he brings consistent wing production. That's going to be critical if we're going to try and platoon him and Ginobili into a 3rd option while hoping TD has a resurgence. But Kawhi's biggest issue right now is that he's not particularly efficient. He can have great games in the playoffs where he catches fire and I'm hoping he does, but in our offensive system every possession has to count. So it irritates me a bit to see people acting like he's a star player who deserves 2nd option touches *right now*.

Personally, I'd like to see him scoring more off of cuts and off-ball movement (not just spot-up shooting) when TP comes back while occasionally dribbling his way through. I think something along those lines would bring up his efficiency. I also think that he should get some practice in as the pick and roll handler even if that's not really his strong suit at the moment.

But in any case, unless the Thunder for some reason decide to continue playing small by having KD guard Splitter for the entire series, I wouldn't expect Kawhi to go off against OKC unless he catches fire from 3 and is able to open up the floor for himself that way. Which is to say that it's not necessarily the case that it won't happen, but that I think people are so excited about Kawhi's progress and potential that they're letting their imaginations run away with them.

[superjames1992]

Typical Spurstalk. One dude has a good game and he's the next coming of Michael Jordan.

Kahwi has played well and I think he could be a key contributor in the playoffs, but give me a break. Unstoppable? :lol

[look_at_g_shred]

Typical Spurstalk. One dude has a good game and he's the next coming of Michael Jordan.

Kahwi has played well and I think he could be a key contributor in the playoffs, but give me a break. Unstoppable? :lol

I'm talking completely shutting him down in the Playoffs. Of course this foo is not going to single handely give us a championship we still need the big 3 and Splitter to play their best but, you think a team can shut down KL's entire game. Enlighten me por favor.

[look_at_g_shred]

I think a lot of you have the wrong idea. This thread was made as an opinion of course, yet I wasn't trying to instill that this guy is Lebron. My main point was to emphasize how KL's game has progressed so much from last year's playoffs, and with all the areas he's has improved on, it's going to be hard to shut him down completely.

[cd98]

Kawhi's been very good lately. But don't start overrating him. His offensive output has surprised teams. For most of last year and the beginning of this year, his role consisted of standing in the corner three and waiting for a pass and then crashing the offensive glass or running back on defense. Of late, the Spurs have been giving him more of a leash to score. And to his credit, he has done very well. But teams will start game planning for his offensive forays, so expect to see some mixed results down the road as he adjusts to defenses that start keying in on him.

[MR-Clutch]

I agree with the efficient statement made by skeptic. I also think he'll become more efficient as he gets more comfortable getting to hole. This includes assists, fouls drawn, and maybe field goal % even though he's already legit in that category.

[KaiRMD1]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. If Kawhi keeps developing his game then yes, in a few years, he will be nearly unstoppable but he has a ways to go.

[TheSkeptic]

I agree with the efficient statement made by skeptic. I also think he'll become more efficient as he gets more comfortable getting to hole. This includes assists, fouls drawn, and maybe field goal % even though he's already legit in that category.

I think so. Practice makes perfect and all that.

[DJB]

Premature ejaculation, tbh. I don't think it's time to refer to Kawhi Leonard as an "uncontainable player."

[spurraider21]

While OP took Kawhi way out of proportion, I am absolutely thrilled that Kawhi is no longer just waiting in the corner with the occasional cut to the basket. He's being more assertive on offense, which adds a completely new element to our offense. We haven't had a physical wing scorer for a long damn time. His ability to take people off the dribble is going to be huge in playoff time, especially if teams really key in on TP

[Roger Freemason Jr.]

The thing is.. what will teams do when Kawhi realizes he can score pretty much whenever he wants, in a variety of ways? If Parker is being Parker, Duncan is shutting down the paint, Kawhi is shutting down the perimeter AND scoring from the 3, and inside... then teams might have a tough time preparing for this Spurs team. & I don't think Durant's length will bother Kawhi, and I read someone say that Kawhi only took one shot contested by Durant, but that isn't a testament to Durant's defensive ability.

[Cklbmk]

Am I the only one really worried about his knee? He's too young for knee problems dammit. :cry


I recall reading something that its very correctable in the offseason with proper strength training but they just don't have the time to do it currently

[TheGoldStandard]

As long as Kawhi keeps his confidence he'll have a good playoff run, he'll get his looks and he's made enough 3's to get defenders to run him off the 3 point line which will open up his mid range game or his drive to the basket and he can finish. I'm thinking between 9 and 12 points avg which is pretty solid as the 4th or 5th option.

[John B]

They need to continue feeding the beast. Release the Kraken.

[DarrinS]

Kawhi is playing because of his defense. Any offense he has is just bonus, tbh

[Poolboy5623]

Kawhi is playing because of his defense. Any offense he has is just bonus, tbh

They're involving him much more in the offense...tonight I noticed on more than a few occasions, he was getting looks...with ginobilis game in a downward spiral, he should be looked at as a scoring option much more...Manu needs to facilitate and shoot when wide open...that's about it.

[Brunodf]

Jinx thread

[TheGoldStandard]

They're involving him much more in the offense...tonight I noticed on more than a few occasions, he was getting looks...with ginobilis game in a downward spiral, he should be looked at as a scoring option much more...Manu needs to facilitate and shoot when wide open...that's about it.

He was a little hesitant when he got into the paint, looking to dish the ball more and picking up his dribble then either attacking or popping and shooting. Not sure why.

[tesseractive]

He's the best player outside the big 3 we've had since Bruce, and possibly the best #4 option on offense in the Big 3 era., unless I'm forgetting someone. He shows every sign of being smart and dedicated and continuing to improve, and there's really no telling what his ceiling is at this point.

But unless I'm watching a different player from some of you, he's nowhere near being even a fringe All-Star at this point. He's adding some moves, but he's still a supporting player, not a guy you can really run an offense through or who could be effective while drawing double teams.

I'm a glass-half-full person, so I'd say that what he's giving us is terrific. But there's no point in making him into something he's not.

[Darkwaters]

Typical Spurstalk. One dude has a good game and he's the next coming of Michael Jordan.


Reference: All the DeJuan Blair threads from year 1

[Poolboy5623]

He was a little hesitant when he got into the paint, looking to dish the ball more and picking up his dribble then either attacking or popping and shooting. Not sure why.

He's just not quite there yet...if he has a glaring weakness, I'd say it's getting stronger with the ball when the d converges on him...he's getting better and I like that he finishes stronger at the rim now. As far as the doubters popping up...he passes the eye test for me. Sorry you don't see it.

[look_at_g_shred]

Bump. He was a key factor in the "Four Minute Miracle"

[SpurPadre]

Bump. He was a key factor in the "Four Minute Miracle"

He was but he still hasn't quite introduced himself to the country as an emerging star yet like Paul George has in these playoffs. In fact, his flaws have been exposed in terms of his half-court offense and post-up game needing a bit more work. I'm not worried about him, though.