Kawhi Leonard - thoughts from someone who's actually seen him play

[SenorSpur]

I think they both have that ability to get out on the break and make pretty good decisions with the basketball. Worthy was bigger than Leonard, and definitely had a more polished all-around game.

I saw glimpses of Leonard being able to play with his back to the basket or facing it. I remember Worthy being pretty versatile in the post as well. I think as Kawhi's body matures he'll be able to post up bigger players simply because his body is so long. Worthy was a lot stronger than this 19-year old.

Other than both of them being extremely mobile forwards I think it's a bit of a reach comparing him to James Worthy at this point. But I believe he has tremendous upside, and has a lot of the same raw tools that Worthy had.

If Leonard is ever able to develop a Worthy-esque first step, oh my!

[SenorSpur]

The only reason I'm not sold on everything is because RJ is still on the roster. If they can move RJ, I have high expectations of the kid. Not that I expect some 19 year old to come in and turn a fringe contender into a legit one; that would be unreasonable.

I have high expectations because of what the Spurs did and how they don't miss when they do things like this. Many things happen along the way sometimes that dictate how a player performs, but the Spurs are banking on him somewhat from a talent perspective.

If you move RJ, and replace him with a true defensive, rebounding 3, I have no doubt that while the overall talent may dip, the team will be more balanced and better off.

I thought the same thing the morning after the draft. I figured that keeping RJ around would likely impede this kid's progress. Part of me still feels that way. His progress will almost certainly be slowed by the absence of summer league and what will likely be a delayed start to training camp and the regular season.

I'm sure if the Spurs can find any takers at all, they will ship out RJ. Until then, if RJ cannot be traded, I would expect Kawhi to kick ass in practice, works hard (which apparently is a given). If he does all that, perhaps he'll ultimately even displace RJ from the starting lineup.

[lefty]

I think they both have that ability to get out on the break and make pretty good decisions with the basketball. Worthy was bigger than Leonard, and definitely had a more polished all-around game.

I saw glimpses of Leonard being able to play with his back to the basket or facing it. I remember Worthy being pretty versatile in the post as well. I think as Kawhi's body matures he'll be able to post up bigger players simply because his body is so long. Worthy was a lot stronger than this 19-year old.

Other than both of them being extremely mobile forwards I think it's a bit of a reach comparing him to James Worthy at this point. But I believe he has tremendous upside, and has a lot of the same raw tools that Worthy had.

Thank you !

[Mr. Body]

Saying that Butler would've been a lottery pick prior to his injury is a stretch. I will admit I don't know a lot about him, but the thing that scares me most about him, besides coming off such a serious injury, is his apparent lack of athleticism. I hope he fully recovers and finds a spot somewhere.

He wasn't terribly athletic and was also old for his draft class. Rarely do you see a senior get drafted in the 1st round nowadays.

[ducks]

splitter and him better stay healthy during training camp

[mingus]

i hope you're right about his skills and what he can bring to the table.

one thing i've learned though is that athleticism is important, but what determines a guy's worth is bball IQ and confidence (see: George Hill). some guys just shrink when they get the NBA, so i'm not going to make a judgement or prediction, not going to get my hopes up until i see him play a couple games at least in the NBA.

if you are right though and the Spurs have found the long, defensive-minded 3 they've been looking for since Bowen left, i hope he starts. bring RJ in as a 6th man and hope he thrives in that role.

[Interrohater]

The thing most exciting about that video is at around 00:32, you can see him recover from a pick to put a hand in his man's face, then rotate to help defense and get the block. There are a couple more defensive plays for him after that, and it's exciting

[blkroadrunners]

I really like the write-up, good job

I'm curious what his ceiling will be offensively when he's more mature.

[TJastal]

i hope you're right about his skills and what he can bring to the table.

one thing i've learned though is that athleticism is important, but what determines a guy's worth is bball IQ and confidence (see: George Hill). some guys just shrink when they get the NBA, so i'm not going to make a judgement or prediction, not going to get my hopes up until i see him play a couple games at least in the NBA.

if you are right though and the Spurs have found the long, defensive-minded 3 they've been looking for since Bowen left, i hope he starts. bring RJ in as a 6th man and hope he thrives in that role.

Unless Leonard develops a 35%+ 3pt shot RJ will still be the better fit in the starting lineup.

[TJastal]

The thing most exciting about that video is at around 00:32, you can see him recover from a pick to put a hand in his man's face, then rotate to help defense and get the block. There are a couple more defensive plays for him after that, and it's exciting

lmao getting all excited over a scrimmage where guys are half assing

[Brazil]

Now this is a ST offseason ! 90% of B/S threads and then you find a thread like that !

Thanks great reading really. I fell I know a little better Leonard and what he can bring to the team.

[lefty]

But the problem is that Pop is still having sex with Bonner

[Brazil]

The thing most exciting about that video is at around 00:32, you can see him recover from a pick to put a hand in his man's face, then rotate to help defense and get the block. There are a couple more defensive plays for him after that, and it's exciting

His defensive work at around the 00:52 is not bad too.

On the other point I do hope we will see a lot of alley oups TP / Leonard, TP / RJ had a good connection on that move in the beginning of the season, too bad RJ faded away later but TP will be surely happy to have this guy on the fast break and on alley.

[Brazil]

lmao getting all excited over a scrimmage where guys are half assing

lmao having an agenda on an internet board

[mingus]

Unless Leonard develops a 35%+ 3pt shot RJ will still be the better fit in the starting lineup.

Obviously, that's why I'm not making any predictions. Gotta be able to spread the floor for Manu and TP. It's a must for the 3 position in this offense.

I'd like to see RJ come off the bench and have JA starting if Leonard can't hit the 3. RJ showed in the post season that he's too much of a mental midget to get over 20 minutes a game.

[GSH]

Injured Traing Camp Rookie = Ian Udrih-Splitter

It's not just injuries, and it's not just rookies. Don't forget about Nazr Mohammed and Robert Horry's last season. Missing a chunk of camp is the kiss of death.

I thought the same thing the morning after the draft. I figured that keeping RJ around would likely impede this kid's progress. Part of me still feels that way.

Not just Jefferson-bashing - but I can't think of anything Leonard could learn from RJ, if they kept him around. So I don't see the Spurs wanting to keep Jefferson around as a mentor.

[pancakechef]

Jefferson is a soft little girl, but when running he used to be a decent player. Its not his fault our coach is an idiot who didnt let him play up-tempo. This year was his best year, and we ran more. Shouldnt take homers like you to figure out the problem.

AGAIN its the same with the draft. You take players who dont fit your system or you dont coach to their strengths then you're left with nothing

[nkdlunch]

so we should have restructured the entire team to accommodate Richard Jefferson?

[Fabbs]

It's not just injuries, and it's not just rookies. Don't forget about Nazr Mohammed and Robert Horry's last season. Missing a chunk of camp is the kiss of death.

True, and it might have been cutsie when he had the best rosters in the NBA to compensate for his bull inep ude.

Since 2007 when he's actually had to coach, his little "bench the training camp missers, I'll show em who is 'lil Hitler" hasn't worked out so cutisie.

[TacoCabanaFajitas]

Correct me if I'm wrong but GH was getting garbage minutes his rookie year and everyone on here was throwing fits when he didn't play at all until the second half of Game 5 of the Dallas series while RMJ was clanking threes.

[Solid D]

It's not just injuries, and it's not just rookies. Don't forget about Nazr Mohammed and Robert Horry's last season. Missing a chunk of camp is the kiss of death.

Absolutely right! I should have said Training Camp. Missing for personal, religious or other reasons basically messes up everything with the learning curve. This includes Pop's famous "muscle memory" concept and rotating on D without hesitation. It still takes 2 years, at least, to get the feel for defensive rules with the Spurs. Even the high IQ players like Bonner struggle (he still struggles).

[GSH]

Jefferson is a soft little girl, but when running he used to be a decent player. Its not his fault our coach is an idiot who didnt let him play up-tempo. This year was his best year, and we ran more. Shouldnt take homers like you to figure out the problem.

AGAIN its the same with the draft. You take players who dont fit your system or you dont coach to their strengths then you're left with nothing

Amazing! I thought you had perfected ignorance during your first 131 posts. Then you post something even more stupid on post 132 and prove me wrong. Who says you can't improve on perfection?

Just for laughs - did it even occur to you that, while it may have been RJ's best year, the Spurs lost to an 8 seed and suffered the most humiliating post season of the Tim Duncan era? Of course it didn't. You are quite possibly the only human being on the planet who thinks the answer is to double down.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

I agree that Leonard will have to be decent at shooting the 3 if he's going to work his way into Pop's rotation. In college his three was not good....at all. I know he's been reworking his shot mechanics. I don't think the Spurs would have made the moves to get him if they thought he was incapable of developing that part of his game. But it definitely is an "if" at this point.

My guess is that the Spurs organization evaluated his shooting potential and also saw something in his ability to defend that made them want to move up in the draft for the first time ever to get this kid. There was a reason they made that move, and for a team as conservative as San Antonio is when it comes to taking risks they must have seen something they really liked in Leonard.

[pancakechef]

Amazing! I thought you had perfected ignorance during your first 131 posts. Then you post something even more stupid on post 132 and prove me wrong. Who says you can't improve on perfection?

Just for laughs - did it even occur to you that, while it may have been RJ's best year, the Spurs lost to an 8 seed and suffered the most humiliating post season of the Tim Duncan era? Of course it didn't. You are quite possibly the only human being on the planet who thinks the answer is to double down.

Again, the ignorance on here is AMAZING. Please tell me the difference between the regular season and the playoffs..... TEMPO.

We ran the ball in the regular season allowing RJ's crap 1/2 court offense to be slightly miraged by pacing. When we got to the playoffs we slowed it down and ran 1/2 with TP/Manu and Tim.

This has NOTHING to do with restructuring. It has everything to do with PLAYING TO YOUR STRENGTHS. If we arent running the ball then Jefferson shouldnt be playing OR on our team. If we picked up Jefferson since we thought he could provide offense WHICH WE DID, then WE NEED TO PLAY IN A SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS US TO UTILIZE HIM FOR WHAT HE DOES BEST.

Quite Frankly, it doesnt matter how you respond. I am correct. If I werent then RJ would have great years in a slow paced offensive scheme. He never has.

The fact that you think just because a player has success in an entirely different system and that will translate well into our stubborn old system is the problem with 99% of the homers (posters) on the site.

Take a class in statistical analysis, learn the game, watch the game, then comment.

Makes it better for you in the end.

Appreciate the teaching opportunity.

[Mel_13]

it doesnt matter how you respond. I am correct.

chazley 2.0

Like most sequels, not as good as the original.