Don't look now but...

[racm]

Kawhi Leonard is now 3rd on the team in PPG. :hat

[look_at_g_shred]

Boss

[DapDaGenius]

It was eventually going to happen.

[Spur|n|Austin]

Kawhi Leonard is now 3rd on the team in PPG. :hat

http://i.imgur.com/dkoAntu.jpg

[superjames1992]

Eh, he plays 8 more minutes than Manu, tbh. Manu will dial it up in the playoffs and be the #3 scorer, most likely. Manu is still dominating him in PER (19.4 to 16.9).

We actually have six players (Tony, Timmy, Kahwi, Manu, Danny, and Tiago) that average double-figures in scoring, which is pretty cool. And then you even have the Hero at 9.0 PPG.

[Juggity]

Eh, he plays 8 more minutes than Manu, tbh.

Because Manu is incapable of playing those 8 minutes himself without getting seriously injured. That won't change in the playoffs, if he is even available to play the first round.

Kawhi is certainly not the playmaker that Manu is, but he's more valuable & important to the spurs' title hopes at this point.

[superjames1992]

Because Manu is incapable of playing those 8 minutes himself without getting seriously injured. That won't change in the playoffs, if he is even available to play the first round.

Kawhi is certainly not the playmaker that Manu is, but he's more valuable & important to the spurs' title hopes at this point.
Manu's minutes have always gone up in the playoffs and this year should be no different. I would speculate that he'll play around 30 MPG this year in the playoffs, per par.

LOL at Kawhi being more important to our title hopes :lol

All I can say is watch and learn. You'll see. The time of reckoning will soon be upon us and all you violent Manu haters will be put to sleep.

[Malice]

I don't think its got anything to do with Manu hate, and Im one of his biggest fans; its looking at his body of work this year. Nothing indicates we can count on him this year. I hate to say it, but if he cant stay healthy he needs to retire...and lets move on.

[hater]

:lmao ppl here still think Manu is still the 3rd best player? :lmao

[Brunodf]

Because Manu is incapable of playing those 8 minutes himself without getting seriously injured. That won't change in the playoffs, if he is even available to play the first round.

Argentina's NT coach disagree

[spurraider21]

:lmao ppl here still think Manu is still the 3rd best player? :lmao

kawhi can't go super saiyan like manu can, even if its not as frequent as it used to be

[TMTTRIO]

Don't worry. Manu has said recently it may be time to hang it up anyways even though he still wants to play.

[Solid D]

He's also ranked in the NBA Top 20 in 4 categories (source: basketball reference http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2013_leaders.htm ).

18th (116.0) in the NBA in Offensive Rating
13th (.602) in the NBA in True Shooting %
12th (2.7) in the NBA in Steals/Game
11th (99.3) in the NBA defensive rating

Very nice to finally see 3 Spurs in the top 20 in Defensive Rating, tbh

1. Tim Duncan-SAS 94.6
2. Roy Hibbert-IND 96.3
3. Paul George-IND 96.5
4. David West-IND 98.2
5. Larry Sanders-MIL 98.4
6. Joakim Noah-CHI 98.4
7. Tony Allen-MEM 98.4
8. Kevin Garnett-BOS 98.5
9. Marc Gasol-MEM 98.8
10. Emeka Okafor-WAS 99.2
11. Kawhi Leonard-SAS 99.3
12. Lamar Odom-LAC 99.3
13. Zach Randolph-MEM 99.8
14. Reggie Evans-BRK 99.8
15. Dwight Howard-LAL 100.1
16. Tiago Splitter-SAS 100.2
17. Mike Conley-MEM 100.2
18. Carlos Boozer-CHI 100.6
19. Josh Smith-ATL 100.6
20. Eric Bledsoe-LAC 100.6

[Juggity]

Manu's minutes have always gone up in the playoffs and this year should be no different. I would speculate that he'll play around 30 MPG this year in the playoffs, per par.

LOL at Kawhi being more important to our title hopes :lol

All I can say is watch and learn. You'll see. The time of reckoning will soon be upon us and all you violent Manu haters will be put to sleep.

I'm not sure why this is so difficult to accept. Manu has been double-underline abysmal this season, especially recently. Really bad. This isn't to speak ill of him, but to acknowledge the truth. Manu will not be able to carry the spurs in the playoffs. He simply isn't up to the task anymore. This season is about as perfect an example of that fact as possible. Every third game, Manu strains something, sprains something. His shot has been off for about 70% of the season. Driving to the basket and drawing fouls are challenges for him now. He's not even really particularly clutch anymore.

Kawhi is young, athletic, and a defensive small forward.

Small forward is the league's premier position now. Kawhi is already a top wing defender in the league. Top 10 for sure, top 5, quite possibly. Not to mention Kawhi is capable of carrying the scoring load that Ginobili has been unable to shoulder this season. He has become the third leading scorer on the team, passing Ginobili. He's not just capable of it, he's actually already done it.

It's painful to admit it, but the truth is undeniable now. Ginobili is done. He's got maybe 1 more season left in him, and that will probably be severely limited. He might even be reduced to the role of a spot up shooter and tertiary ballhandler to preserve his health. He's a decent shooter, too, after all.

If Manu could stay healthy during the regular season the way he did during the Olympics, it would be a different story, but in his current state he's far from the superstar he once was, and far inferior to Kawhi.

[phxspurfan]

This is good news. The bad news is the Spurs needed KL to become more of a reliable producer along with the continued production from the big 3 to have a shot at a championship. Now that Manu and Parker have fallen off the wagon, we can only wait until or if they can climb back on this season to reach contender status. Duncan, Parker and this year's KL aren't enough to beat OKC. We need Manu and even more from Splitter and Green.

[SupremeGuy]

http://i.imgur.com/dkoAntu.jpg:lol

[Spur|n|Austin]

I'm not sure why this is so difficult to accept. Manu has been double-underline abysmal this season, especially recently. Really bad. This isn't to speak ill of him, but to acknowledge the truth.

Fact.

[DPG21920]

He's also ranked in the NBA Top 20 in 4 categories (source: basketball reference http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2013_leaders.htm ).

18th (116.0) in the NBA in Offensive Rating
13th (.602) in the NBA in True Shooting %
12th (2.7) in the NBA in Steals/Game
11th (99.3) in the NBA defensive rating

Very nice to finally see 3 Spurs in the top 20 in Defensive Rating, tbh

1. Tim Duncan-SAS 94.6
2. Roy Hibbert-IND 96.3
3. Paul George-IND 96.5
4. David West-IND 98.2
5. Larry Sanders-MIL 98.4
6. Joakim Noah-CHI 98.4
7. Tony Allen-MEM 98.4
8. Kevin Garnett-BOS 98.5
9. Marc Gasol-MEM 98.8
10. Emeka Okafor-WAS 99.2
11. Kawhi Leonard-SAS 99.3
12. Lamar Odom-LAC 99.3
13. Zach Randolph-MEM 99.8
14. Reggie Evans-BRK 99.8
15. Dwight Howard-LAL 100.1
16. Tiago Splitter-SAS 100.2
17. Mike Conley-MEM 100.2
18. Carlos Boozer-CHI 100.6
19. Josh Smith-ATL 100.6
20. Eric Bledsoe-LAC 100.6

Wow, look at INDY :wow. Just shows you how underrated David West probably is, especially defensively. Without looking at some advanced numbers, not many people would say David West's name when it comes to solid defenders. Also, Paul George is a stud. Not many guys can shoulder a load offensively like he does and still be a top notch defender.

[ElNono]

This is great news for the Spurs.

One of the problems of Manu re-shaping his game as more of an assist-man was who was going to pick up the slack scoring-wise. Kawhi obviously has long ways to go to be the complete player Manu is, but it's great the Spurs have a solid player that not only can score but can play both ends of the floor.