Kawhi Leonard vs Andrew Wiggins

[Outlier]

I know this is a Spurs forum and it will be hard to get an unbiased answer, but which one do you think is better and will have a better career? The finals mvp under the guidance of the greatest coach ever which by the way is a huge advantage or the number 1 pick with an extremely high ceiling as do all #1 picks do.

[MeloHype]

Now: Leonard
Career: Wiggins

[KawhiLeonard]

I'd take Leonard tbh over a career. Leonard still has so much more room for growth. Wiggins is going to be legit but leonard is going to be special

[TheGoldStandard]

If they stay on the Cavs and Spurs respectively? Kawhi, he'll have better talent around him for longer.

[Galileo]

Leonard is the best player in basketball. He outplayed James for three straight games by a very wide margin.

[peacemaker885]

Leonard is the best player in basketball. He outplayed James for three straight games by a very wide margin.

[SnakeBoy]

I'd have to go with Kawhi at the moment, proven commodity. Wiggins is a better athlete and has the potential to be a superstar if he can become a real basketball player but we've seen many examples of great athletes that never manage to really understand the game.

[ducks]

kawhi with the spurs can be a two way player
can wiggins be a two way player
can he stay out of foul trouble
leonard can guard Durant and james can wiggins guard without fouling out

[DJR210]

I'd take Leonard tbh over a career. Leonard still has so much more room for growth. Wiggins is going to be legit but leonard is going to be special

Sup KawhiLeonard (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=44283)

[baseline bum]

This is an easy choice:

1. We know Kawhi Leonard is an elite defensive player
2. We know Kawhi Leonard is an excellent scorer in the post
3. We know Kawhi Leonard is a good rebounder
4. We know Kawhi Leonard has a good jumpshot
5. We know Kawhi Leonard has a very strong work ethic
6. We know Kawhi Leonard is capable of learning new things from his coaches
7. We know Kawhi Leonard has great size
8. We know Kawhi Leonard is a good athlete

I mean this is an absolute no-brainer, you have to pick Leonard. Wiggins can be a very good player, but Kawhi is one.

[Emperor]

Let's see what Wiggins can do if he makes it to the finals first. We all know what Kawhi can do.

[LittleCriminal]

This is an easy choice:

1. We know Kawhi Leonard is an elite defensive player
2. We know Kawhi Leonard is an excellent scorer in the post
3. We know Kawhi Leonard is a good rebounder
4. We know Kawhi Leonard has a good jumpshot
5. We know Kawhi Leonard has a very strong work ethic
6. We know Kawhi Leonard is capable of learning new things from his coaches
7. We know Kawhi Leonard has great size
8. We know Kawhi Leonard is a good athlete

I mean this is an absolute no-brainer, you have to pick Leonard. Wiggins can be a very good player, but Kawhi is one.

:toast

[SpurPadre]

This is an easy choice:

1. We know Kawhi Leonard is an elite defensive player
2. We know Kawhi Leonard is an excellent scorer in the post
3. We know Kawhi Leonard is a good rebounder
4. We know Kawhi Leonard has a good jumpshot
5. We know Kawhi Leonard has a very strong work ethic
6. We know Kawhi Leonard is capable of learning new things from his coaches
7. We know Kawhi Leonard has great size
8. We know Kawhi Leonard is a good athlete

I mean this is an absolute no-brainer, you have to pick Leonard. Wiggins can be a very good player, but Kawhi is one.

'Nuff said.

[vander]

Wiggins.

And we don't really know what kawhi can do offensively when the D focuses on him. I think kawhi is severely overrated by spurfan right now

[Aztecfan03]

Leonard is the best player in basketball. He outplayed James for three straight games by a very wide margin.

Let's not go overboard.

[cd98]

We won't know how good Wiggins is until after two seasons. He's a great athlete, but prone to disappear and some say he lacks a killer instinct. If he develops, he could be just as special or better than Leonard. Hard to know at this point.

[Aztecfan03]

Wiggins.

And we don't really know what kawhi can do offensively when the D focuses on him. I think kawhi is severely overrated by spurfan right now

I agree people are overrating him. Like the guy who said he outplayed Lebron by a wide margin in each of the last three games. I'd take kawhi this year but the future is a question mark. Wiggins might have more potential but will he live up to it? Im also a little concerned about Kawhi's knees; hopefully he can have a fully healthy year next year.

[cd98]

Leonard is the best player in basketball. He outplayed James for three straight games by a very wide margin.

Im sure you're not serious. Lebron is way better than Leonard, though Leonard is very, very good.

[baseline bum]

When LeBron stepped on the court the first time you knew he'd stack MVPs and rings. When Durant came out in the draft it was obvious he would be an all-time great. There were no questions about Anthony Davis except for those from ignorant fans who thought he was Camby because he was tall and long. Maybe Wiggins is a late bloomer like Kobe Bryant or Dirk Nowitzki, but for lots of the greats it was pretty clear all along.

[Hoops Czar]

Im sure you're not serious. Lebron is way better than Leonard, though Leonard is very, very good.

One too many very there.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

This is an easy choice:

1. We know Kawhi Leonard is an elite defensive player
2. We know Kawhi Leonard is an excellent scorer in the post
3. We know Kawhi Leonard is a good rebounder
4. We know Kawhi Leonard has a good jumpshot
5. We know Kawhi Leonard has a very strong work ethic
6. We know Kawhi Leonard is capable of learning new things from his coaches
7. We know Kawhi Leonard has great size
8. We know Kawhi Leonard is a good athlete

I mean this is an absolute no-brainer, you have to pick Leonard. Wiggins can be a very good player, but Kawhi is one.

/thread

[Hoops Czar]

This is an easy choice:

1. We know Kawhi Leonard is an elite defensive player
2. We know Kawhi Leonard is an excellent scorer in the post
3. We know Kawhi Leonard is a good rebounder
4. We know Kawhi Leonard has a good jumpshot
5. We know Kawhi Leonard has a very strong work ethic
6. We know Kawhi Leonard is capable of learning new things from his coaches
7. We know Kawhi Leonard has great size
8. We know Kawhi Leonard is a good athlete

I mean this is an absolute no-brainer, you have to pick Leonard. Wiggins can be a very good player, but Kawhi is one.

The bolded is what we knew on Draft night. The rest is through the benefit of hindsight. I think Wiggins deserves the same benefit of the doubt.

[benstanfield]

When LeBron stepped on the court the first time you knew he'd stack MVPs and rings. When Durant came out in the draft it was obvious he would be an all-time great. There were no questions about Anthony Davis except for those from ignorant fans who thought he was Camby because he was tall and long. Maybe Wiggins is a late bloomer like Kobe Bryant or Dirk Nowitzki, but for lots of the greats it was pretty clear all along.

This is pretty much an indictment of both Wiggins and Leonard

[Holden_Caulfield]

when i first saw wiggins play the first few times i thought he was a more athletic kawhi, but that was before the this years playoffs

[SupremeGuy]

Kawhi is a fucking FMVP; he's a proven commodity. We don't know how Wiggins will perform in the NBA yet...

I mean, I'm an unabashedly large Kawhi fan, but I think Kawhi's game speaks for itself. In the past few years, I've only seen one person actually make Lebron look annoyed/disappointed by anyone's defense, and that was Kawhi. I remember when Lebron was shooting FTs in last year's finals and Pop sent Kawhi back in, and then they showed Lebron and he made a face like "dammit." lol Kawhi is already at THAT level.

[Thomas82]

Kawhi is a fucking FMVP; he's a proven commodity. We don't know how Wiggins will perform in the NBA yet...

I mean, I'm an unabashedly large Kawhi fan, but I think Kawhi's game speaks for itself. In the past few years, I've only seen one person actually make Lebron look annoyed/disappointed by anyone's defense, and that was Kawhi. I remember when Lebron was shooting FTs in last year's finals and Pop sent Kawhi back in, and then they showed Lebron and he made a face like "dammit." lol Kawhi is already at THAT level.

+1

[moisaenz]

not enough evidence to choose wiggins over leonard... wiggins comes with the hype.leonard has results.

[peacemaker885]

Let's go back to this thread at the end of the 2014 - 2015 season to see who is better - KL

[JohnnyMax]

Kevin Love

[Arcadian]

How the hell can anyone answer this when Wiggins hasn't played a minute of NBA basketball yet? :lol

[spurraider21]

i'll take the 22 year old Finals MVP tbh

[pikkiwoki]

How the hell can anyone answer this when Wiggins hasn't played a minute of NBA basketball yet? :lol
Oh! I know! I know!

Because he played an entire season at Kansas?

[Captivus]

i'll take the 22 year old Finals MVP tbh

[anakha]

Leonard's perceived ceiling was a lot lower coming out of college. The strides he's made in his game since then have been nothing short of amazing.

If Wiggins has the same work ethic and drive to improve Leonard has, he can conceivably be a better player in the future. Pressure's on him to show that though.

[Outlier]

Imo, the for sure things Wiggins has over Leonard are explosiveness and leaping ability. But maybe Kawhi doesn't need that since he plays at his own pace/ plays at a deceptive speed with long arms to compensate his lack of athleticism. Wiggins also seems to have a mid range game down, and his athleticism seems eerily similar to D-Wade's so we might see a lot of acrobatic moves that we see from Wade and Kobe from Wiggins. I think that's what sets him apart from Leonard. Leonard however has all the fundamentals down and knows winning basketball. Let's pray his newfound fame doesn't change his game for the worse... I.e. Throw up selfish shots, etc. then again, Duncan has said he will be great and I believe him. Kawhi could be another star who plays boring but has a huge effect on the court that makes winning easy for his team.

[baseline bum]

This is pretty much an indictment of both Wiggins and Leonard

Not really. I never said I thought Leonard has superstar potential. I don't think he will ever be league MVP. But that's the only kind of potential you could reasonably take over a proven commodity whose game has grown so much.

[Galileo]

Im sure you're not serious. Lebron is way better than Leonard, though Leonard is very, very good.

not s sure, Lebron will be an old 30 next season, Leonard 23 entering his prime.

[99 Problems]

:lobt2:Kawhi

[Raven]

well if anything, we know Wiggins is dumb.

[florige]

Kawhi is a fucking FMVP; he's a proven commodity. We don't know how Wiggins will perform in the NBA yet...

I mean, I'm an unabashedly large Kawhi fan, but I think Kawhi's game speaks for itself. In the past few years, I've only seen one person actually make Lebron look annoyed/disappointed by anyone's defense, and that was Kawhi. I remember when Lebron was shooting FTs in last year's finals and Pop sent Kawhi back in, and then they showed Lebron and he made a face like "dammit." lol Kawhi is already at THAT level.


So was Vernon Maxwell. Leonard outplayed LBJ for 3 games. Thats hardly enough of a margin to fully grade him yet. Like someone else mentioned, lets see how he does when defense's start planning for him during the season.

[dabom]

So was Vernon Maxwell. Leonard outplayed LBJ for 3 games. Thats hardly enough of a margin to fully grade him yet. Like someone else mentioned, lets see how he does when defense's start planning for him during the season.

If Kawhi was the first option, the team would revolve around him. He'd get more post-ups and pick-n-rolls and sweet spots for him. Also upping up his minutes would increase his numbers and our defense.
Two way street my man. It's safe to say he could be a 24ppg and 10rpg player as a wing in his prime which is 2 years away. If anyone's watched Kawhi since his first year, you'd know he is really special.

[florige]

If Kawhi was the first option, the team would revolve around him. He'd get more post-ups and pick-n-rolls and sweet spots for him. Also upping up his minutes would increase his numbers and our defense.
Two way street my man. It's safe to say he could be a 24ppg and 10rpg player as a wing in his prime which is 2 years away. If anyone's watched Kawhi since his first year, you'd know he is really special.


I agree that he shows glimpses of being that guy. My whole point is that people tend to overreact over a three game stretch. It would be different if he won the season MVP award. He is still very young and looks to have a huge upside. I just would like to see him maintain that over a period of time verses one series.