Yes...just like TD. Deceptively athletic, but that length and knowing how to use it.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's not a regulation rim, lol.
Yes...just like TD. Deceptively athletic, but that length and knowing how to use it.
He's not that level of athleticism but he's above ave to good for sure. I don't agree with him not having high vertical leaps right now since he seems to get those high alley oops all the time![]()
Above average compared to the whole league
probably top 10 for the SF position
No way he's the 3rd best.
Gerald Green
Russell Westbrook
Paul George
DeAndre Jordan
JaVelle McGee ( Athletic Freak)
Dwight Howard
Leonard is probably closer to an above average athlete, who has a freak arm-span (7 inches longer than his height without shoes)
Last edited by cd021; 04-29-2015 at 10:20 PM.
I'm pretty sure you're right. In terms of vertical leap to height, Cory Joseph is the best athlete on the team. 34 inch vert for a 6'2 guard is really good. He shows bursts of it.
He doesn't have the footwork or rhythm to be that highly ranked in athleticism. I think a lot of his game is based on straight up hard work, and his god given length and large hands.
this
He's on par with Harrison Barnes in terms of athleticism, but has way better moves, reflexes, and strength
Top 10 Id say. How many players in the league would've caught that alley oop from green?
Agree, but not only high alley oops and slam dunks...
Amazing rebound![]()
Barnes is a much better athlete in terms of vert. Barnes has a 40' inch max vert to KLs 34. Leonard's game utilizes his athleticism more than Barnes.
people saying he's an average athlete
come on man, that alley oop the other day, the putback dunk vs miami
That play was sick but you could see that his head was well below the rim, it was his length that allowed him to go up and get it. So yeah, he's definitely not in the same club as LBJ, Chimpbrook and DeMonkey. Those guys are what I would call hyper athletes.
That being said, athleticism ages poorly and length doesn't... just ask Timmy, tbh.
Are some of yall serious when yall say Kawhi is not that athletic?
His combination of size, power, quickness and speed is probably Top 1% in the NBA. Vertical isn't the only thing that makes up athleticism tbh.
His speed is underrated, especially for a player his size. Dude regularly goes coast to coast after his steals or rebounds, we haven't seen it as often this postseason because CP3 picked him from behind twice early in the series.
True, but Vertical is often the first attribute to be judged when ppl try to determine an individual's athleticism. And I'd argue it gets weighed higher than other attributes as well. At least in the NBA.
Not sure if he's even top 40-50 athletically. As mentioned, if you mean length and strength, that's different.
damn, his head was at rim level
he is not that athletic at all ... I mean his alley oop dunk everyone here was fuzzy about was great, but there are so many more athletic guys in the league that would have made that dunk easily because they can jump that much higher. Athleticism is not just jumping, but what makes Kawhi special is the lengths of his body and arms as well as the size of his hands.
Based on his draft combine numbers, he was about the same level of athlete as Chandler Parsons. If Kawhi were white, he probably wouldn't be lauded for his athleticism.
That being said, he's a tough one to figure out because his raw numbers don't really jump out at you but he makes some really athletic plays sometimes. It seems like he's always as athletic as he needs to be based on the situation.
He's athletic enough. Kawhi has a very high BB IQ and cat-like reflexes and timing on defense. He's one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA if not THE best.
DPOY, es!![]()
Kawhi is athletic no doubt but one thing I notice is when he slashes his leap lacks explosion off the dribble and he barely gets off the floor which is tough when trying to finish among traffic. That's all that's separating him from being among the elites. Sometimes it's not about the vertical leap but how quickly you can get off the floor and rise over the defender and catch him off guard. Westbrook doesn't have a great vertical leap but the way he detonates off the dribble and gets up in the air so fast in combination with his length he's usually either scoring or going to the free throw line.
And once again, that's pop for you. He doesn't know what to do with athletic players in his system. He tries to put them in a box.
Love me some Kawhi but he's actually not that athletic based on vertical, coordination with the his body, maneuvering the ball in mid air. He's slightly above average. Still, now of that takes away from of how badass an nba player he is.
He got bumped up by green on that rebound. If you're already moving up in the air, the slightest bump in the same direction give you extra lift.
Last edited by UZER; 04-30-2015 at 08:35 AM.
Most athletic player on the planet IMO. Tony is also the best pass first PG in the league.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)