Are Kawhi's Late Game Offensive Struggles A Concern Going Forward, tbh?

[Capt Bringdown]

He was definitely traumatized by 6.

He pushed past it last year, but this year he's deffo gone all Nick Anderson on us.

[FkLA]

You really showed me!! Was I just ethered?

[TheGreatYacht]

What a got

[Clipper Nation]

I want to blame this game on Pop and that ugly ass beard...

Of course you do, Joe. You'll throw anyone under the bus to defend your beloved Enrique.

[wildchild]

We all remember that he missed a free throw that would have won us the championship. Granted, he played a monstrous game to that point and is one of the main reasons we were even in that position, but this thread isn't about Leonard's overall body of work. It speaks for itself, tbh.

1...

This year he was having another great game against LeBron (this time with the Cavs), and was outplaying him for most of the game. Then in the 4th, he couldn't hit a single shot from the field, and was 1-4 from the free throw line, giving Cleveland the opportunity they needed to force overtime, where we lost.

2...

Today he got a good shot that would have won the game, clean look, and a midrange shot that he's been nailing all year, barely rimmed out. He then missed a FT in overtime, and then dubiously turned the ball over when he was given the ball with a chance to go ahead.

3.

I think Kawhi is the future of the team (not gna say the future will be as good as the past 15 years, but he's growing into an elite player), but are his late game issues something that can be resolved?

3 games and how many opportunities Kawhi had to close a game in his career?

I'd say 5/6. The three games you mentioned before, the winning 3 against Cavs, the last 2 FT against the Clippers in november -he made both-, and we can add the last play against Pacers -the Beli's shot-.

The numbers doesn't sound so bad. 6 games, 50% effectiveness...

It's a learning process, in 4 seasons he had the ball in his hands in the last second only 6 times.

[Clipper Nation]

Spurs/Knicks PG Matchup

Enrique Porker: 21 points (9-20), 6 assists

Langston "D-League Scrub" Galloway: 22 points (10-18), 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal

Punked by a D-Leaguer

[dabom]

God.

[RD2191]

What a got

slurp slurp slurp

[RD2191]

Clipper nation with the nuke.

[RD2191]

Tim and Manu are gone by now without Kawhi. We would be fighting for an 8th seed. Kawhi is single handedly responsible for Timmy being able to get 5 and maybe play for 6 this season. He can guard the best player in the nba and at least play him to a draw. This thread is ridiculous.

[TheGreatYacht]

Battle of the role players

Matrix: 13pts, 3/9, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3TO's

Someone named Alexey: 21pts, 6/14, 7 assists, 3 steals, 1TO

Can't even hold his own against someone who got waived by the Wolves

[spurraider21]

Today, Cavs game, 6 and what other noticeable games are there?

He had monster games vs the Cavs and in 6 too. Splitting FTs for the latter doesn't really cons ute a 'choke' either.

i know he did. in my OP i specifically mentioned how amazing he played in those games. you should probably read a post before starting to comment about it

[Clipper Nation]

Battle of the role players

Matrix: 13pts, 3/9, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3TO's

Someone named Alexey: 21pts, 6/14, 7 assists, 3 steals, 1TO

Can't even hold his own against someone who got waived by the Wolves

Kawhi isn't a "role player," got.

[spurraider21]

Clipper nation with the deflection.

[DMC]

I'm as big a Kawhi fan there is on this site. You could even call me a player fan, in that regard. He has established himself as the best perimeter defender in the NBA this season (was already among the best, but has really stood out). The Spurs have made a concerted effort to make Kawhi a more central figure in the offense, and it's payed dividends, especially in the last few weeks where he's been dropping 20+ with regularity.

But there's the elephant in the room, which is in the thread le. I know he hit a game winning 3 against the Cavs like 2 years ago, but he has by in large struggled offensively late in games. He still makes clutch defensive plays (strip of Westbrook, stealing from CP3 early this year, etc), but his shots just don't seem to fall. We all remember that he missed a free throw that would have won us the championship. Granted, he played a monstrous game to that point and is one of the main reasons we were even in that position, but this thread isn't about Leonard's overall body of work. It speaks for itself, tbh.

This year he was having another great game against LeBron (this time with the Cavs), and was outplaying him for most of the game. Then in the 4th, he couldn't hit a single shot from the field, and was 1-4 from the free throw line, giving Cleveland the opportunity they needed to force overtime, where we lost.

Today he got a good shot that would have won the game, clean look, and a midrange shot that he's been nailing all year, barely rimmed out. He then missed a FT in overtime, and then dubiously turned the ball over when he was given the ball with a chance to go ahead.

I think Kawhi is the future of the team (not gna say the future will be as good as the past 15 years, but he's growing into an elite player), but are his late game issues something that can be resolved?

There's no elephant in the room. Everyone knows Leonard lacks confidence. When Pop has to tell him "you're the man", and he's won a FMVP and still shies away from having the ball late in the game, you know he feels like he caught lightning in a bottle.

He's not the future of this team. He's too talented to be forced into a misfit as a team leader. He'll instead be the reason a team makes it to the Finals and wins, from the defensive side of things. He's got offensive talent, quite a bit, but other than his massive claws he's an average offensive player, maybe even slightly below average. You have to factor in his hands though as they are part of who he is, and he's got great hands, not just great big ones. There are a lot of guys who are really ing tall who look like a newborn fawn, wobbly legged and can't walk and dribble, but Leonard has use of his hands the way a player should. His problem is that there's the Spurs then there's Kawhi.. he's not really part of the offense. Neither was Blair, though. Not comparing the two, but it's really ing hard to be incorporated into a 10+ year tenured trio and not look like a turd in a punch bowl.

This is really Pop's challenge, to develop Kawhi despite his early success. It can be harder to develop a guy who's had some success than one who hasn't, because they might stop listening to you, might look beyond you. I don't see that in Leonard, but I also don't see a team leader. I could be wrong, hope I am, but he seems like he'd be most comfortable flying under the radar on offense and wreaking havoc in the open floor. When he's part of the offense, he's being forced into a scheme, and like Pop said, let Leonard do his thing out there, he's got instinct that you cannot teach. Blair had that too, and the Spurs coached him right out of it.

He cerebral, and that's why he chokes. I've seen Tim do it countless times. Kawhi just needs to have some late game successes under his belt and he'll get over that hump. Regardless, he'll give you more chances to not need late game heroics.

[spurraider21]

Tim and Manu are gone by now without Kawhi. We would be fighting for an 8th seed. Kawhi is single handedly responsible for Timmy being able to get 5 and maybe play for 6 this season. He can guard the best player in the nba and at least play him to a draw. This thread is ridiculous.

kawhi is amazing and is a franchise player worthy of the max. i never denied any of that, i just posed a question... and it just seems like player fans are getting really defensive

[RD2191]

Battle of the role players

Matrix: 13pts, 3/9, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3TO's

Someone named Alexey: 21pts, 6/14, 7 assists, 3 steals, 1TO

Can't even hold his own against someone who got waived by the Wolves

shved is an established nba player. galloway got called up from his job at foot locker and dropped a career high on parker

[wildchild]

i seriously hope op is trolling

No. That's the problem.

He's overreacting like others in panic mode here.

[TheGreatYacht]

Kawhi isn't a "role player," got.

Take the out your eyes and watch the games, got. Every player in the league knows it... Just ask Durant

[RD2191]

kawhi is amazing and is a franchise player worthy of the max. i never denied any of that, i just posed a question... and it just seems like player fans are getting really defensive

he choked in 6 but spurs don't make it there without him so it is what it is. when else has he choked? i mean in a meaningful game, not a reg season game.

[dabom]

shved is an established nba player. galloway got called up from his job at foot locker and dropped a career high on parker

[spurraider21]

There's no elephant in the room. Everyone knows Leonard lacks confidence. When Pop has to tell him "you're the man", and he's won a FMVP and still shies away from having the ball late in the game, you know he feels like he caught lightning in a bottle.

He's not the future of this team. He's too talented to be forced into a misfit as a team leader. He'll instead be the reason a team makes it to the Finals and wins, from the defensive side of things. He's got offensive talent, quite a bit, but other than his massive claws he's an average offensive player, maybe even slightly below average. You have to factor in his hands though as they are part of who he is, and he's got great hands, not just great big ones. There are a lot of guys who are really ing tall who look like a newborn fawn, wobbly legged and can't walk and dribble, but Leonard has use of his hands the way a player should. His problem is that there's the Spurs then there's Kawhi.. he's not really part of the offense. Neither was Blair, though. Not comparing the two, but it's really ing hard to be incorporated into a 10+ year tenured trio and not look like a turd in a punch bowl.

This is really Pop's challenge, to develop Kawhi despite his early success. It can be harder to develop a guy who's had some success than one who hasn't, because they might stop listening to you, might look beyond you. I don't see that in Leonard, but I also don't see a team leader. I could be wrong, hope I am, but he seems like he'd be most comfortable flying under the radar on offense and wreaking havoc in the open floor. When he's part of the offense, he's being forced into a scheme, and like Pop said, let Leonard do his thing out there, he's got instinct that you cannot teach. Blair had that too, and the Spurs coached him right out of it.

He cerebral, and that's why he chokes. I've seen Tim do it countless times. Kawhi just needs to have some late game successes under his belt and he'll get over that hump. Regardless, he'll give you more chances to not need late game heroics.

good read (yes i read it )

one thing i would say is Kawhi doesn't seem like a guy that will tune pop out because of success. pop always likes guys that can "get over himself" and kawhi seems like a guy who has never come close to that

[RD2191]

the great outing himself as a lebron slurper. what a piece of this guy is. how's ur gf got? or the girl you had a crush on? lmao. what a scrub.

[TheGreatYacht]

shved is an established nba player.

New low for the short bus, congrats got

[Malik Hairston]

Battle of the role players

Matrix: 13pts, 3/9, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3TO's

Someone named Alexey: 21pts, 6/14, 7 assists, 3 steals, 1TO

Can't even hold his own against someone who got waived by the Wolves

Shved is currently the Knicks' best player, actually, so you're right, the Knicks best player outplayed the Spurs best player tonight..