Kawhi at PG

[kxs783kms]

Anyone else noticed how often Kawhi brought the ball up last night? He was LeBron like doing so and seemed very comfortable at that. I can see this allowing us to go with some big lineups this year whenever teams try to create matchup problems by posting up Parker or Mills. This is no longer Ginobli's job.

[IknowU]

https://streamable.com/j1mi

[ceperez]

The guy got an unbelievable upgrade during the summer.

His offensive moves this year is so much better than last year.

The league should be really scared now!

[kxs783kms]

https://streamable.com/j1mi

Look how he's just out there playing with the ball, crossing over between his legs. I really believe Jaw hi knows this is his year and his team now that Duncan is gone. If he plays with that confidence and agressiveness all year, then MVP hands down. The talent is already there.

[lefty]

Better PG than Porker tbh .....

[LongtimeSpursFan]

His inability to get dribble penetration is the issue. Teams would have no issue him balhogging on the perimeter and taking an 18 foot contested jumper. Plus he's not really a great passer. Let's just keep him at the SF position and let others initiate the offense.

[still.focused]

The upgrade we all asked for was him being able to handle the back and be more authoritative with it
Hes done both.
Hes not good enough of a play maker to run an offense full time so no PG
But i LOVE the way he had the ball a considerable amount of time
Sadly for the league I think hes learned how to draw fouls damn near 20 ft from the basket

[GSH]

Hes not good enough of a play maker to run an offense full time so no PG



Oh, shit. You just suggested that Kawhi isn't good enough at something. Here we go.

https://vampyrefangs.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/julius-caesar.jpg

[rastaspur]

His pnr game was so crisp and on point. He was reading the defense perfectly and would make the perfect pass on collapses.

That is going to take him to a whole new level if it continues to occur.

[tbdog]

https://streamable.com/j1mi


Demond subtly trolling the crowd.

[MaNu4Tres]

There's a big misconception with labeled PG's.

I've been trying to tell people on this site for years.

A lot of people on here post as if PGs place their teammates in position on the court. Like the other players are just robots being manipulated and controlled by the PG as he navigates the offense. That couldn't be further from the truth.

Truth of the matter is, labels are overrated. It's about skill-sets. There's some labeled PGs in the league that are just short spot up shooters, who defend opposing PGs, that provide spacing for the superior creator on the team. Parker still has some ability to break down a defense or create from time to time, but most of that responsibility now is deferred to Kawhi -- who is a SF.

Just the other day people were chiming in slamming my notion about a wing being slotted in at the PG position with Kawhi on the floor.

[GSH]

His pnr game was so crisp and on point. He was reading the defense perfectly and would make the perfect pass on collapses.

That is going to take him to a whole new level if it continues to occur.


I said it last night, but the single biggest thing Kawhi did in the offseason was to learn how to force the action and force defenders to foul him. It was obvious from the first game of preseason that he'd was doing it intentionally. Last night shots were falling, but getting to the FT line is something that can carry the team through a bad night, and turn an okay night into a blowout. If you want to spot the players who can put a team on their shoulders on a bad night, especially in the playoffs, look at FTA/36. How many times have we seen Dirk, or Harden, or a few others go 4/20 from the floor, but still wind up with 20+ points?

For his career, Kawhi has gotten 3.9 FTA/36. Last year he was up to 5 FTA/36. In the preseason, he was up to around 8 FTA/36, I think. (8 is a truly top-tier number that would put him in legitimate running for league MVP.) Last night he got to the line 15 times in 32 minutes. If he can keep getting 8-9 FTA/36, and not lose anything on the defensive end, he really could contend with LeBron for the MVP this year.

[RodNIc91]

https://streamable.com/j1mi

can someone make a gif out of this?

[gambit1990]

Just the other day people were chiming in slamming my notion about a wing being slotted in at the PG position with Kawhi on the floor.
yeah, i saw that. i'd take butler starting over parker in a heartbeat.

[rastaspur]

I said it last night, but the single biggest thing Kawhi did in the offseason was to learn how to force the action and force defenders to foul him. It was obvious from the first game of preseason that he'd was doing it intentionally. Last night shots were falling, but getting to the FT line is something that can carry the team through a bad night, and turn an okay night into a blowout. If you want to spot the players who can put a team on their shoulders on a bad night, especially in the playoffs, look at FTA/36. How many times have we seen Dirk, or Harden, or a few others go 4/20 from the floor, but still wind up with 20+ points?

For his career, Kawhi has gotten 3.9 FTA/36. Last year he was up to 5 FTA/36. In the preseason, he was up to around 8 FTA/36, I think. (8 is a truly top-tier number that would put him in legitimate running for league MVP.) Last night he got to the line 15 times in 32 minutes. If he can keep getting 8-9 FTA/36, and not lose anything on the defensive end, he really could contend with LeBron for the MVP this year.

True dat.

Refs are now forced to give him the respect he deserves. He was looking for contact all night. It was beautiful. And hes stronger and can take it even better than last year.