I think time will tell us. Though, frankly, I don't see SA being relevant once Tim retires no matter how good Leonard is...
Right now Kawhi is not a glue like Duncan was when he joined the Spurs to when everybody in the team gelled together.
He's one of the most promising players in the league right now who can play on both ends of the floor but, he is not a player who can draw an all-star/elite player to play in San Antonio so they can win championships.
Not yet.
Defense is half the game and is only ignored by fools. He is clearly a franchise player (not to be confused with an all time great championship player like Timmy - we're spoiled) and overall one of the best players in the league.
I would like to point out he is only 23. He has a looooong way to go and has improved every season, so he may still surprise us yet.
And for those of you saying he's more like a Pippen....um what? Pippen was a legit #1 option and only played second fiddle because Jordan was the GOAT. If Kawhi was Pippen the Spurs would be the best team in the league. It's crazy how underrated Pippen was, look what he did the season Jordan retired for the first time
Unless another David Robinson or Tim Duncan comes around in the next couple of years-- which I doubt-- I think the Spurs will approach rebuilding like the Hawks have the past few years, gathering good, versatile players... Kawhi definitely fits with this plan. To me it seems like one of the big problems the Spurs will have when Manu retires is a lack of ballhandlers. The Spurs have had two de facto PGs for a long time in Tony & Manu, and now both are past their primes. Kawhi isn't a point forward like Pippen was, but it would nice to see him move in that direction.
No, he wasn't. He wasn't the explosive scorer that other guys in his era were. What made him truly great was he was elite in other areas which complimented his 15-20 ppg nicely. He didn't have elite handles either, they were simply adequate. He was more power than finesse, his physique made him dominant. Kawhi is from that same mold...especially now that we've seen glimpses of him being a good passer. If he can develop into a point forward like Pippen they'd be almost carbon copies of each other tbh.
Kawhi is 23 years old...
Compare him to 23 year old Pippen and post the results.
He's a #2 guy that fits well in the new NBA, a super-utility guy that can do everything, including score on the biggest stage..
The NBA has about 10 franchise players every year IMO, barely ever any more..
At the moment: Curry, Harden, Marc Gasol, Davis, Durant, Westbrook, Aldridge(probably), Lebron
Borderline: Paul, Griffin
Potential: Lillard, Wall, Cousins(doubt that Wall or Lillard will ever reach that status, though)
Building a team around a SF is very difficult, tbh, they generally need to be a generational talent like Lebron or Durant..
No
He is a very good 2nd banana, which is good enough to give him a max contract or something close to it these days.
There aren't many true franchise players in the league ! Duncan was one, Leonard ain't one.
Yeah, to answer the OP he's definitely better suited as a #2 or a 1a/1b at best.
Still a #2 on offense that also happens to be the best perimeter defender and rebounding SF in the league easily deserves the max tbh.
No. Next question
He's not even a #2. He's not a playmaker either. So he's a solid #3
The league is different now, too..
Two of the past 4 champions won championships with an unconventional hierarchy, with the Spurs not having a "#2" and the Mavs' having Tyson Chandler(a super-role player) as their #2..even the Heat were better when Wade was off the floor when they won their 2013 championship..
The Grizzlies and Pacers were the conference finalists in 2013, and those teams didn't have conventional "stars" at the top of their lineups, either..
lol Fat Enrique ordered to stand in the corner
Not sure he's even Shawn Marion IMO. We're all seeing how inefficient he is when he is relied upon (43.8fg%) ... Matrix atleast had a season where he averaged 21.8ppg, 11.8rpg, 1.7bpg, 2.0spg, 52.5fg%
Hope he somehow gets there though, but I doubt it.
Congrats on your Cavs getting Perkins today, Joe..
Not a Lebron fan, but you are though..
The good thing about Kawhi is, his determination to be the best, his above par DEFENSE, quick hands, his character(no ego), his self discipline and his offense (he can shoot anywhere on the floor).
What's lacking is : consistency on OFFENSE.
Still worth the Spurs to build around force in the future.
I'd hate to see this player playing for other teams when Duncan & Manu retire.
Yes, people forget the supporting cast he helped carry this entire year
I know a lot of people in here don't play basketball ( even I don't), but it's simple really, your shot has to do with muscle memory. You need to gain a rhythm, get that "memory" back, if your shot mechanics are off just a tiny bit, you're off. When you see players go through shooting slumps, that's why, they're not getting enough lift in their shot, their release has slightly changed, something is different.
Leonard has had his eye injury at the start, another hand injury, it's basically interrupted him, kept him from finding his rhythm. Once his 3 ball starts falling it'll open up more of his game.
When can Anthony Davis leave the Pelicans? Spurs need to go after him hard. Pair him with Kawhi.
I agree. I only see 5 players that I consider franchise and only like 3 can translate it to the playoffs. None of those players were as good as kawhi at 23 tbh. Who knows what kawhi will be at 28 tbh. 5 ing years from now.
I swear all these ing losers.
I swear dude. Kawhi and Davis with pop and parker coming off the bench.
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