Great SI article on LK

[Rummpd]

Leonard is technically a wing player by trade, but he transcends that position with his ability to defend point guards and best centers on the glass, becoming something transformational. San Antonio has some capable bigs that mesh well with the team’s aims, but each has their flaws and Duncan isn’t capable of logging heavy minutes at this stage in his career. He’s good for 36 minutes a night, but even that takes its toll; part of the reason why Duncan was pulled from Thursday’s game was because he looked a little worn down, so much so that he was making uncharacteristic mistakes and shorting makeable shots. Popovich undoubtedly relishes every opportunity that allows him to rely on Duncan less, and, in this particular series, Leonard provided just such an out. ....

According to NBA Wowy, in the 52 minutes that the Spurs played with Leonard on the court without Duncan (including that final few minutes of Game 6), they outscored the Warriors by 33.6 points per 100 possessions. That’s a blowout margin carried out in short bursts of playing time, possible in part because of the way that Leonard complements bigs like Splitter and Boris Diaw. The offense still funneled through Tony Parker in those scenarios, but Leonard played with maxed-out efficiency (including a 100 percent effective field goal percentage), assisted in San Antonio grabbing 28.6 percent of its own misses and alternated between guarding high-scoring wing players and post-up bigs.
http://nba.si.com/2013/05/17/kawhi-leonard-san-antonio-spurs-nba-playoffs-2013/?sct=uk_t11_a5

[Splits]

Entire article is a fantastic read.

[Gino-Step]

Like I said in "Duncan is not for this series" thread. Basketball is changing. The league is going towards 5 Kawhi Leonards instead of guys on the extreme ends of the spectrum like a Steve Nash or a Dwight Howard. The game is becoming super versatile, super floor spread. Jackie Butler, Harrison Barnes, Paul George. Ideally, you have 3-4 of those guys on the court at the same time. A team of 6'4, 6'6, 6'7, 6'7, 6'9 is far better than a traditional Chris Paul + DeAndre Jordan type combo's. Defenses can isolate 'mismatches'. The only way to counter that is to put out a ton of Kawhi Leonards.

Tyson Chandlers of the world are now absolutely overvalued in a scientific Advanced Stats league. So are Kendrick Perkins. And I'm sorry but Tim Duncan's defensive mobility on pick and rolls can be exploited if you pull him out.

This is why Tiago and Diaw are so effective. What is important now on Defense is defensive spacing and cutting off lanes and showing on screens and being able to move around. So the fact that Tiago is not strong in a full out wrestle for a board is far less important than the fact that his feet and arms get to spaces before the offense does. This is also why he's so good at spacing and rolling on offense. 90% of Tiago's contributions offensively and defensively are made without a touch of contact with anyone.

[MR-Clutch]

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/62485/the-kawhi-leonard-conundrum-and-why-life-is-unfair

another good read.

[Interrohater]

Thanks Rummpd, good link. Maybe you guys have discussed this before, but what's the sign the bench makes with their left hands holding onto their right wrist and five fingers splayed out when Kawhi does something well? Everytime he gets a dunk or hit s a three, Patty does it and I think Baynes too. What's that about?

[BillMc]

Really enjoyed that. Thanks for the find! :toast

[Interrohater]

Like I said in "Duncan is not for this series" thread. Basketball is changing. The league is going towards 5 Kawhi Leonards instead of guys on the extreme ends of the spectrum like a Steve Nash or a Dwight Howard. The game is becoming super versatile, super floor spread. Jackie Butler, Harrison Barnes, Paul George. Ideally, you have 3-4 of those guys on the court at the same time. A team of 6'4, 6'6, 6'7, 6'7, 6'9 is far better than a traditional Chris Paul + DeAndre Jordan type combo's. Defenses can isolate 'mismatches'. The only way to counter that is to put out a ton of Kawhi Leonards.

Tyson Chandlers of the world are now absolutely overvalued in a scientific Advanced Stats league. So are Kendrick Perkins. And I'm sorry but Tim Duncan's defensive mobility on pick and rolls can be exploited if you pull him out.

This is why Tiago and Diaw are so effective. What is important now on Defense is defensive spacing and cutting off lanes and showing on screens and being able to move around. So the fact that Tiago is not strong in a full out wrestle for a board is far less important than the fact that his feet and arms get to spaces before the offense does. This is also why he's so good at spacing and rolling on offense. 90% of Tiago's contributions offensively and defensively are made without a touch of contact with anyone.

I agree. This is why I'm excited about the prospect of Bertans. He'd be a great fit for that scheme. Mobile, long, great shooter.

[mudyez]

And Larry Bird won executive of the year for trading Leonard for the chance to pay George Hill big bucks! :downspin:

We really need some kind of waiting period for these awards.

[capek]

who the fuck is lk??

Good read tho

[Gino-Step]

I agree. This is why I'm excited about the prospect of Bertans. He'd be a great fit for that scheme. Mobile, long, great shooter.


Yep Bertans fits that mold. There can be a hope for Corey Joseph in the future NBA. There can never be a hope for a Gary Neal. Wingspan is very important. Blake Griffin just does not have it. Yes he jumps higher than people but he can be at the apex of his jump for a split second during a 24 second shot clock. Kawhi's super long arms are with him the entire time. Whether to tug at a guy's jersey, reaching for a steal. Contesting a shot by putting his hands up. Making a pass hard to make.

Maximize length to height ratio so that you get bigger without getting slower. Kawhi's got that.

Right now, the catch phrase is "Small Ball 4". People are missing the bigger picture. Soon, we'll have "Big Ball 1, Big Ball 2, Medium Ball 3, Small Ball 4, Small Ball 5" ALL AT THE SAME TIME. You cannot have any exploitable pieces on the floor. "I WANT EVERYONE TO CRASH THE BOARDS!"....... well that doesn't work when you have 2 guards that can't board. "I WANT TO MOVE THE BALL AROUND" ... well that doesn't work if you have 2-3 guys who can't shoot like the Lakers. "I WANT TO SWITCH ALL PICKS" ....doesn't work if your defenders are not similar. "I WANT ALL FIVE GUYS TO RUN BACK ON D".... doesn't work if some are super slow.

The one bad part about advanced metrics and stats is that the NBA to the casual fan will become far more boring. Look at Sabermetrics taking over. Look at front offices hiring Advanced Stat Geeks. The average fan who wants to see Stephon Marbury crossing up Yao etc will not get to see their teams win. Aka Clip Nation's exciting team is fked from ever winning.

The pairing of a guard with a big doesn't work as well anymore. Kobe - Shaq - everyone's still emulating that. It's why Portland tried to do Brandon Roy - Greg Oden. Mistake. Could you imagine pick and roll Stephen Curry vs. Shaq? HAHAHAHHAHA. Teams exploit cross matches. No one gives a shit if you are a great on ball defender. Kobe when he wants to be is a pretty good on ball defender. But why were the Lakers so bad? Cause teams run plays to exploit him napping. Game is changing. It's why a Defensive Spacing and Mobility type of Defender just won DPOY in Marc Gasol.

Miami's got the 2-3-4 combination in Wade - Lebron - Bosh. Trying the Steve Nash - Dwight Howard, Chris Paul - Blake Griffin, Deron Williams - Brook Lopez is not the way forward.

[Spur|n|Austin]

I thoroughly enjoyed that, thanks for sharing :tu

[eyeh8u]

its KL not LK, fyi

[Spur|n|Austin]

its KL not LK, fyi

You think he doesn't know that? Ever heard of a typo?

[Aztecfan03]

Thanks Rummpd, good link. Maybe you guys have discussed this before, but what's the sign the bench makes with their left hands holding onto their right wrist and five fingers splayed out when Kawhi does something well? Everytime he gets a dunk or hit s a three, Patty does it and I think Baynes too. What's that about?

It's his superhero sign or something according to Mills. Having to do with his huge hands.

[eyeh8u]

You think he doesn't know that? Ever heard of a typo?


This isnt about the OP knowing. I didnt know who LK was and many might also be in my predicament. I passed over the thread a couple times, i clicked because i ran out other threads to look at, its a great read, and it would benefit the article if the thread was correctly titled. Its a helpful tip, so maybe he can edit the title. Ever heard of constructive criticism? Everyone so damn hostile.

[Old School 44]

Like I said in "Duncan is not for this series" thread. Basketball is changing. The league is going towards 5 Kawhi Leonards instead of guys on the extreme ends of the spectrum like a Steve Nash or a Dwight Howard. The game is becoming super versatile, super floor spread. Jackie Butler, Harrison Barnes, Paul George. Ideally, you have 3-4 of those guys on the court at the same time. A team of 6'4, 6'6, 6'7, 6'7, 6'9 is far better than a traditional Chris Paul + DeAndre Jordan type combo's. Defenses can isolate 'mismatches'. The only way to counter that is to put out a ton of Kawhi Leonards.

Tyson Chandlers of the world are now absolutely overvalued in a scientific Advanced Stats league. So are Kendrick Perkins. And I'm sorry but Tim Duncan's defensive mobility on pick and rolls can be exploited if you pull him out.

This is why Tiago and Diaw are so effective. What is important now on Defense is defensive spacing and cutting off lanes and showing on screens and being able to move around. So the fact that Tiago is not strong in a full out wrestle for a board is far less important than the fact that his feet and arms get to spaces before the offense does. This is also why he's so good at spacing and rolling on offense. 90% of Tiago's contributions offensively and defensively are made without a touch of contact with anyone.

I'm sure you meant the Bulls Jimmy. Jackie Butler was "3-4 of those guys" all by himself. :)

[Gino-Step]

Haha YES sorry. Jimmy Butler. Jackie LOL

[DMC]

Fortifying, that's what it is.

[mudyez]

Yep Bertans fits that mold. There can be a hope for Corey Joseph in the future NBA. There can never be a hope for a Gary Neal. Wingspan is very important. Blake Griffin just does not have it. Yes he jumps higher than people but he can be at the apex of his jump for a split second during a 24 second shot clock. Kawhi's super long arms are with him the entire time. Whether to tug at a guy's jersey, reaching for a steal. Contesting a shot by putting his hands up. Making a pass hard to make.

Maximize length to height ratio so that you get bigger without getting slower. Kawhi's got that.

Right now, the catch phrase is "Small Ball 4". People are missing the bigger picture. Soon, we'll have "Big Ball 1, Big Ball 2, Medium Ball 3, Small Ball 4, Small Ball 5" ALL AT THE SAME TIME. You cannot have any exploitable pieces on the floor. "I WANT EVERYONE TO CRASH THE BOARDS!"....... well that doesn't work when you have 2 guards that can't board. "I WANT TO MOVE THE BALL AROUND" ... well that doesn't work if you have 2-3 guys who can't shoot like the Lakers. "I WANT TO SWITCH ALL PICKS" ....doesn't work if your defenders are not similar. "I WANT ALL FIVE GUYS TO RUN BACK ON D".... doesn't work if some are super slow.

The one bad part about advanced metrics and stats is that the NBA to the casual fan will become far more boring. Look at Sabermetrics taking over. Look at front offices hiring Advanced Stat Geeks. The average fan who wants to see Stephon Marbury crossing up Yao etc will not get to see their teams win. Aka Clip Nation's exciting team is fked from ever winning.

The pairing of a guard with a big doesn't work as well anymore. Kobe - Shaq - everyone's still emulating that. It's why Portland tried to do Brandon Roy - Greg Oden. Mistake. Could you imagine pick and roll Stephen Curry vs. Shaq? HAHAHAHHAHA. Teams exploit cross matches. No one gives a shit if you are a great on ball defender. Kobe when he wants to be is a pretty good on ball defender. But why were the Lakers so bad? Cause teams run plays to exploit him napping. Game is changing. It's why a Defensive Spacing and Mobility type of Defender just won DPOY in Marc Gasol.

Miami's got the 2-3-4 combination in Wade - Lebron - Bosh. Trying the Steve Nash - Dwight Howard, Chris Paul - Blake Griffin, Deron Williams - Brook Lopez is not the way forward.

Even though I kind of agree I think your overexaggerating.
There are only so many talented swiss army knife players around. For every KL, Lamar Odom, Paul Geroge or LeBron there are like 15 other players that will make the league purely on talent without fitting the bill. It's not like Highschoolcoaches will ax every player thats not able to guard all 5 positions, is above 6-10 or smaller than 6-6.
There was a time when everybody thought you need a big-PG (it was the time Penny Hardaway was great) and watch where we are now!
There will always be a home for a little guy that has great handles and can hit from outside and there will always be a team for a 7-0 guy that can play some defense.

Swiss army knife players will be a commodity every team is looking for, but I doubt thatwe will see multiple teams with 5 starters like that (MIA is the closest right now, but even they would have a long way to go not bothering about matchups/switches anymore).