This is basically a one man team on Pace to win 60 games...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dbreiden83080

Either LA is shot as a player or he does not fit in here. He is so passive and looks like his game is maybe 60% what it used to be..

---

I do not think his game fits in well here, however, it is pretty much the same soft, fadeaway-jumper-dependent game LMA played in Portland. I don't think he seems much more passive on offense - he just takes fewer shots. But he has been a very pleasant surprise on the defensive end most games. I didn't want him for the Spurs to begin with, and all-in-all I still don't - unless the team can come up with a real second threat NOW, so that LMA can settle in as a 3rd option, which suits him.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by djohn2oo8

He's not winning it because he doesn't make anyone else better.

---

Whose fault is that? Green and Mills have been open from 3 all season.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by james evans

Whose fault is that? Green and Mills have been open from 3 all season.

---

And they shoot 40% from there.

Right on!! One man can't do it all.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by djohn2oo8

And they shoot 40% from there.

---

seriously though, that's not good enough when they are WIDE OPEN MOST OF THE TIME. Do you think Leonard would still shoot the same % from 3 if he got Mills and Green looks all season? THEY ARE WIDE OPEN MOST OF THE TIME!!!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by james evans

seriously though, that's not good enough when they are WIDE OPEN MOST OF THE TIME. Do you think Leonard would still shoot the same % from 3 if he got Mills and Green looks all season? THEY ARE WIDE OPEN MOST OF THE TIME!!!!

---

Yeah, it's poor. If they truly are as good of a shooter as their percentages say, then they should be hitting a higher percentage with the open looks they get. They need open looks just to shoot at the percentage they're shooting at. If they were on a lower team, and not getting consistent open looks like they get here, I'm pretty sure their percentages would go down the toilet.

Good/great shooters his a higher percentage of open looks.

It's not a one-man team on a 60-win pace. When it's a one-man team, they play to about a 30-win pace. And that's the problem. As good as Kawhi is, nobody is a one-man team. He needs some damn help from more than David Lee. Tonight he got juuuust enough.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by djohn2oo8

Nobody is saying he isn't good. Playmaking and leadership is what really carries a team more than just scoring.

---

That is a moronic take. Even playmaking guards or forwards need other people to make shots or play make.

Jordan had Pippen, Kobe had Shaq/Pau while LeBron has had Wade/Bosh and Irving/Love.

Kawhi hasn't had teammate in that tier of player since Timmy in 2013.......

Yet, he still has 2× DPOY awards, a NBA championship and a Finals MVP. He's already a top 75 all-time great.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GSH

It's not a one-man team on a 60-win pace. When it's a one-man team, they play to about a 30-win pace. And that's the problem. As good as Kawhi is, nobody is a one-man team. He needs some damn help from more than David Lee. Tonight he got juuuust enough.

---

Sadly, that help isn't coming anytime soon. He'll need to play with the chips he's dealt, but I'm hopeful other players will step up more.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by james evans

seriously though, that's not good enough when they are WIDE OPEN MOST OF THE TIME. Do you think Leonard would still shoot the same % from 3 if he got Mills and Green looks all season? THEY ARE WIDE OPEN MOST OF THE TIME!!!!

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ice009

Yeah, it's poor. If they truly are as good of a shooter as their percentages say, then they should be hitting a higher percentage with the open looks they get. They need open looks just to shoot at the percentage they're shooting at. If they were on a lower team, and not getting consistent open looks like they get here, I'm pretty sure their percentages would go down the toilet.

Good/great shooters his a higher percentage of open looks.

---

Fortunately there are stats for this kind of stuff and you'd be surprised.

On open 3pt shots ( closest defender 4-6 feet away ) - Kawhi : 39.6%, Danny : 48.5%, Mills : 42.7%
On wide open 3pt shots ( closest def 6+ feet away ) - Kawhi : 41.9%, Danny : 38.7%, Mills : 48.9%

The league is as watered down as its ever been. Too many of you all get caught up in the record.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MaNu4Tres

The league is as watered down as its ever been. Too many of you all get caught up in the record.

---

I think slot of that is due to one team having 4 players that would be considered top players are at least second banana on most teams and Cleveland being in the discussion for that as well.

Durant, Andre Igueldala, and Curry would be top dog on most teams (though at this point career wise AI2 would likely have taken a backseat role) while Clay would be number 2 on most NBA play-off teams throughout history. Cleveland with LeBron, Love and Irving makes a strong case for having 3 players that would lead a majority of teams, there have also been many playoff teams where either J.R. Smith or Korver would supplant their second best player. This concentration of players tends to make the lower half of the league look a little inconsistent as there are about 4 teams in a league of 32 missing a 20+ minute per night top 2 player.

Honestly the Spurs are probably over performing because of that. The smart money was always on a 3 or 4 year dark age in the Duncan sunset era. You expect the final year or two of a greats career to have them barely making the play-off and reloading an aging and depleted team with draft picks in the low teens. As the championship supporting cast bows out with age and the youngsters come in the team crashes the lottery for a year or two. Leonard isn't the issue with that happening really. In a league with 4 more real teams Aldridge doesn't come to San Antonio and the Spurs record drops 10 to 15 games.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BG_Spurs_Fan

Fortunately there are stats for this kind of stuff and you'd be surprised.

On open 3pt shots ( closest defender 4-6 feet away ) - Kawhi : 39.6%, Danny : 48.5%, Mills : 42.7%
On wide open 3pt shots ( closest def 6+ feet away ) - Kawhi : 41.9%, Danny : 38.7%, Mills : 48.9%

---

As I've said before, wide-open threes tend to come from broken plays, whereas open threes tend to come from normal sets. I think Green shoots best when he gets a set shot that he knows is coming rather than a pass after everything has gone to hell already. Some of those come when is feet aren't set (end of the clock or on the break). It was really nice to see Pop run a couple of plays for Green last night.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BG_Spurs_Fan

Fortunately there are stats for this kind of stuff and you'd be surprised.

On open 3pt shots ( closest defender 4-6 feet away ) - Kawhi : 39.6%, Danny : 48.5%, Mills : 42.7%
On wide open 3pt shots ( closest def 6+ feet away ) - Kawhi : 41.9%, Danny : 38.7%, Mills : 48.9%

---

:lol

The Spurs are 21st in the NBA in 3s off drive and kick, despite being #1 in the NBA in overall 3-point shooting..their shooters get open looks off set plays, but this is no longer a team where the shooters get more open looks than the shooters on other teams out of natural penetration..this isn't 2013:lol

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HarlemHeat37

The Spurs are 21st in the NBA in 3s off drive and kick, despite being #1 in the NBA in overall 3-point shooting..their shooters get open looks off set plays, but this is no longer a team where the shooters get more open looks than the shooters on other teams out of natural penetration..this isn't 2013:lol

---

It's looking a hell of a lot like 2011, tbh.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Chinook

As I've said before, wide-open threes tend to come from broken plays, whereas open threes tend to come from normal sets. I think Green shoots best when he gets a set shot that he knows is coming rather than a pass after everything has gone to hell already. Some of those come when is feet aren't set (end of the clock or on the break). It was really nice to see Pop run a couple of plays for Green last night.

---

Danny relies so much on elevating more than any shooter I can remember. If his elevation and launch point is off at all he's pretty terrible..it's why he has ZERO midrange shooting..he can't shoot on the move to save his life. Feet aren't set and he can't elevate like he wants.. Brick City