What does Leonard need to work on this summer?

Leonard needs to refine his ball handling and he should be able to take over as the #3 option. He has shown he could score in quite a few ways: 3's, pull up jumper, post ups, and drives/cuts to the basket. Once he stops depending on screens and cuts to get an open shot, he can attack his defender 1v1 off the dribble, which should open up more shots for everyone.

But Leonard should still make defense his #1 priority. His defensive ceiling is higher than his offensive ceiling. While he may have borderline all-star potential on offense, he has all NBA potential on defense.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Spur|n|Austin

You do know the Olympics are not this summer right?

---

There's a USA Basketball training camp this summer that he may participate in.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Spur|n|Austin

You do know the Olympics are not this summer right?

---

No sh*t. I'm talking about that training camp or whatever it is that Coach K invited Kawhi to. Do your homework before you start acting like a smart as*.

Ball Handling Skills, watch Kobe and MJ on youtube, then more Ball Handling Skills
Ball Handling Skills
Ball Handling Skills
Ball Handling Skills
Ball Handling Skills
Ball Handling Skills
Ball Handling Skills
Ball Handling Skills
Ball Handling Skills

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by exstatic

He's taller, and a WAY better shooter already than Wade. He just needs to work on his handles and moves off the dribble.

---

He is not a WAY better shooter than Wade, just a better spot up three point shooter. Yes, he is taller and both rebound very well for their position. I do agree though that he needs to work on his handles and off the dribble jumper. That's where he can imitate Wade with that mid range hook shot/floater that Wade killed us with. Wade was never a three point threat and Kawhi is not really one off the dribble. If he can improve ball handling and a mid-range off the dribble jumper, he will be an all star.

shooting, post moves, FTs, lateral quickness, maybe a little voice modulation.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mr.Bottomtooth

There's a USA Basketball training camp this summer that he may participate in.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TheGreatYacht

No sh*t. I'm talking about that training camp or whatever it is that Coach K invited Kawhi to. Do your homework before you start acting like a smart as*.

---

Do you guys think I don't know that? - It was all over the board when he got the invite - I was referring to TheGreatYacht's rant about a WEEK OF TRAINING camp which isn't for over a month from now. He's 21 years old for crying out loud. It's an honor for him to be invited, and he'll be fine.

transition offense

An aggressive mentality -- at all times during the game.

Free throws

I would say Kawhi needs to work on:

1. Ball handling
2. Vertical jump
3. Mid range jumper

I still see Kawhi as a Larry Kenon type player, good rebounder, pretty good jump shot.

Most importantly ball handling. If he had great ball handling he'd be impossible to stop on fast breaks, but unfortunately because of sloppy dribbling he stops himself sometimes.

Second, court vision. He needs to increase his court vision a lot! That's another reason he has struggled with fast breaks. He needs to see the court way before he gets down there. This will improve naturally over time, but increased studying and laser therapy for his eyes will help.

Third, he needs a consistent jumpshot off of the dribble. If he can improve in these three areas, he'll be unstoppable.

Fourth and finally, free throw shooting, because they're called FREE throws for a reason and you should never bail out a team for getting beat on defense and resorting to fouling. Fouling isn't part of the game. Make teams pay for fouling.

Dribble drive and midrange game. Kid could beast offensively next year. Pop seems to be at the point of trusting him and letting him flourish, which is a good thing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by illusioNtEk

Ball Handling Skills, watch Kobe and MJ on youtube, then more Ball Handling Skills
Ball Handling Skills
Ball Handling Skills
Ball Handling Skills
Ball Handling Skills
Ball Handling Skills
Ball Handling Skills
Ball Handling Skills
Ball Handling Skills

---

Is Kawhi really that bad at ball handling? I always saw him as a good ball handler in traffic. The GIF from his rookie year against the Knicks comes to mind.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rick1991

Is Kawhi really that bad at ball handling? I always saw him as a good ball handler in traffic. The GIF from his rookie year against the Knicks comes to mind.

---

If Kawai is able to bring the ball up the court and create plays for himself on either a 1on1 situation, or the ability to drive to the basket (which he does) He will be almost unstoppable. By doing this he needs to master and learn good Ball Handling Skills much like Kobe and Lebron, both which are tall just like Kawahi is.. but have the ability to dribble is what sets them apart to another level of Superstardom

The Spurs need to give Kawhi the keys to the team. TP has shown he's not reliable enough in the big moments. TP would work great in a secondary role.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kobexxx

not choking.. missed ft in Gm 6 and a go ahead 3 in gm 7

---

dude Kawhi dropped like double his season average in those games and the only reason we were in position to potentially have a go-ahead three in game 7 was because he made a 3 to cut the lead to 2 on the last posession dumbass