Manu should be the X factor in the second unit as usual. Tony should still handle the ball the most while Timmy and KL get the secondary touches. Tiago's the efficient finisher while Green's the 3 point specialist.
Continue to push the notion of creating havoc defensively. Kawhi would be ranked 6th in the league in steals if he had enough games to qualify (injury set-back). Before the Chicago game Kawhi was averaging 1.88 steals/game and he ranks #1 in the NBA in steals/TO. He drastically changes games when he turns it up and hawks the ball. He made a big difference at one point in the Nets game. He's contageous.
Leonard should be the 3rd scoring option.
Would your vile disdain for No. 20 have anything to do with that statement? Leonard is great, but Ginóbili has faced every defense possible; Manu can facilitate the game, and provide better looks for others... Leonard's skillset does not include exceptional court vision...
to answer the thread le, like this tbh
God, get this guy a freaking straight jacket.
The most impressive aspects:
1. He was defended a lot by Luol Deng. Deng is one of the top three best defensive small forwards in the NBA.
2. Almost all his buckets were off the dribble. Players Leonard's size who can consistently score off the bounce are few and far between. Out of everything Leonard does, his ability to create and then pull-up and knock down the mid-range shot is what gives him a really high ceiling. He's been compared to Marion and GWallace but neither of them could ever do that.
3. He has improved leaps and bounds in terms of finishing at the basket. Earlier this season, he was committing a ton of offensive fouls when trying to score in the paint. He has slowed his game a little bit and that has allowed him to be much more precise and under control.
To add to point 3 he could definitely take lessons from TP and Manu if he wants to further improve in that category. Manu has truly made the "euro-step" famous here, and now its being used all the time by other elite wing players. D-Wade has really mastered it and you even see Kobe, Harden, and sometimes even Durant using it to avoid charging fouls. I actually saw a bit of that from Kawhi during his brief summer league stint this year. Could you imagine how nasty Kawhi could be if he can incorporate TP's floater into his game? With Rondo esque arms/hands its very conceivable that he could improve the way Rondo has with his intermediate finishing.
That would actually further complement his apparently flourishing mid range game. Paired with his ability to spot up from range, it could truly be something special. If somebody tries to aggressively close-out on his 3 point attempt he can blow by and hit mid range or take it all the way to the rack.
I think the most impressive aspect was the fact that he got a lot of buckets off isolation or via the pick and roll. As teams stat to respect his ability to score off the dribble its up to him to develop as a passer to essentially be the Manu/Harden of the team... but paired with amazing defensive ability.
One thing we need to do to beat the Thunder is be able to attack Durant on defense.
I love how Kawhi is being aggresive. Right now it still looks like he's finding what will work and what wont. Hope he continues to improve.
Leonard is a rising star, Manu is a fading one. You get Leonard playing like the rising star that he is more consistently you will have a better team going into the playoffs as this guys confidence grows. Give him more looks as the 3rd option and watch his game take off. Manu needs to be phased back some.
I could be mistaken, but I think Pop might try some point forward with both Diaw and Kawhi especially if we run into another Parker vs Sefolosha situation during the playoffs; use TP as the SG in the offense. See how teams adjust to it, both of them can bring the ball up the court and then initiate the offense or back down their defender especially if there is a mismatch.
Especially if KL ends up being defended by Kevin Martin. TP has no 3 point range but this year I see him running more off-ball especially when TD's on the court.
i love watching those kawhi highlights from last night. there's so much potential for how we can utilize him in the playoffs, especially if TP has a bad night or series. couple this with OKC losing Harden, things might get really interesting.
however, the only caution I feel is his tendonitis from earlier. if Kawhi says it still hurts, how much of this can fixed or maintained towards playoffs? Do we have to worry about it sidelining him? I was so excited about last night's game but hearing Sean bring up his knee tempered my mood.
Another point to note with Leonard, he's been dramatically better in mid range shooting so far this season.
He's avoiding mid range shots(Which is good, they're referred to as shots for a reason), and it's only a few attempts(So could be fluke) but his % from 16-23 feet is dramatically better this season. From hoopdata, http://www.hoopdata.com/player.aspx?name=Kawhi+Leonard
Shot Locations At Rim 3-9 Feet 10-15 Feet 16-23 Feet Threes
Player Name Yr Tm Pos GP Min M A FG% %As M A FG% %As M A FG% %As M A FG% %As M A eFG% %As Kawhi Leonard 2012 SAS SF 64 24.0 1.7 2.4 68.8 56.6 0.4 0.9 48.2 25.9 0.2 0.5 28.6 60.0 0.2 0.8 30.0 73.3 0.6 1.7 56.4 97.6 Kawhi Leonard 2013 SAS SF 33 28.8 1.4 2.0 69.7 50.0 0.2 0.4 50.0 57.1 0.2 0.3 54.5 83.3 0.5 1.2 44.0 72.2 1.3 3.2 60.3 100.0
Promising that he's developing in ways that we don't see often, that only really have value if the offense breaks down.
That and the guy can rebound!
Kawhi did mention that the rigors of the NBA makes it impossible for something not to hurt. I'm sure Pop is on it and may even give him a couple of games off before the end of the season. At this point it seems that limiting his minutes is working best.
I believe someone wrote in an article that the coaches are working with him on a floater as well.
An informative article by McDonald which traces KL's offensive development back to the summer league and daily sessions with the coaching staff:
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...er-sweat-pays/
There was a stat that showed since Kawhi came back the Spurs have been the best defensive team. Anyone by any chance have those #'s or know where I'd be able to find them?
It would have been nice to run some plays for him down th stretch when Parker/Manu/Duncan all looked ty and tired, tbh..
youre ahead of your time.
The Spurs' playoffs hopes may hinge on the acceptance that Leonard has possibly surpassed Gino on the priority list, tbh..
Well Manu did look depressingly horrible out there after his 20th minute.
I think Kawhi needs to move up the depth chart as an offensive option.
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