by Andrew Schnitkey
Last week when we took a look at the Draft Lottery Machine and came up with what seems like every scenario imaginable, not a single simulation had the Cleveland Cavaliers taking San Diego State forward Kawhi Leonard with one of the first round picks. But as the lottery draws ever closer, Leonard’s is a name that has been gaining momentum.
If you recall, San Diego State was one of the surprise stories of the 2010-11 NCAA basketball season. The Aztecs earned a #2 seed in the tournament and lost to eventual champion UConn in the Sweet 16 round. They finished the year with a 34-3 record. The biggest reason for their surge was Kawhi Leonard, who averaged 15.5 ppg and 10.6 rpg to lead the team in both categories.
When the sop re declared for the draft, some projected him as a project who would be taken mid first round. But as he has been demonstrating vast improvements in workouts and a word of mouth campaign has been spreading, Leonard has seen his name vaulted into the top 10 of the draft and now some are saying he may even be a top 5 prospect.
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.com says virtually every team in the top 10 has Leonard on their radar:
As we pointed out last week, SF is definitely a position of great need for the Cavaliers this offseason. So would it be a reach for the Cavaliers to take Leonard with their first pick in the draft? Not necessarily.That’s the case with Kawhi Leonard, who is climbing draft boards and solidifying himself as the best small forward in this class. Every top team – from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Toronto Raptors to the Washington Wizards – has expressed significant interest in Leonard.
Leonard is currently working out at Impact Basketball in Las Vegas and he’s improving each and every day. He has turned heads and he has all of the trainers and prospects singing his praises.
Nearly every lottery team has Leonard high on their draft board. After Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams, this draft is wide open and there’s a possibility that Leonard could move into the top five.
Kawhi Leonard is easy to like with his unique blend of athleticism, power and range. He won’t have any trouble making a team fall in love with his game, and where he ultimately lands will have a lot to do with where the ping pong balls bounce next week.
Should the Cavaliers wind up with the 4th pick, they would miss out on prized prospects Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams for sure, but they would also likely miss out on Enes Kanter, the prospect many suspect the Cavaliers would have ranked 3rd on their wish list. If Kanter is gone at #4 as well, it would be pretty wide open on who the Cavaliers would take.
ESPN’s draft lottery has the Cavaliers favoring Kemba Walker, and Walker would likely be a popular pick amongst fans as well, but I’m not convinced the Cavaliers would pick him. Walker is likely too undersized to ever be effective playing minutes at the 2 guard position, but at PG his ceiling probably isn’t high enough to warrant being drafted top 5. Which isn’t to say Walker can’t be a good NBA PG, it’s just too much of a risk that he won’t be to feel comfortable taking him top 5.
That leaves a lot of European prospects for the Cavaliers to consider. We’ve seen names like Jonas Valanciunas, Jan Vesely, Enes Kanter, Dontas Motiejunas, and Bismack Biyombo as potential Cavaliers targets. When it comes to European players, though, scouting is always a fine art. European players’ skills don’t always translate quite right to the NBA. With Leonard, although the level of his compe ion wasn’t always the greatest, there’s still a fair amount of tape on him playing against opponents in a more NBA style of basketball than many European leagues. It’s not impossible that at some point Chris Grant decides to play it safe in his first draft and goes with the more known quan y in Kawhi Leonard.
Of course, it’s not like Leonard doesn’t have his own question marks. Some feel he racked up inflated numbers against vastly inferior opponents. In San Diego State’s loss to UConn in the tourney, Leonard played a pretty pedestrian game and ended up with a decent, but not overwhelming, 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists. There are questions about Leonard’s ability to shoot consistently from long range as well as questions about his defensive intensity and fundamentals.
It’s hard to imagine the Cavaliers taking Leonard with their first pick in the top 5, but if Leonard is still available when the Cavaliers are on the clock with the Clippers’ pick, don’t be surprised if Leonard is the guy they decide to take.
Last edited by TheDoctor; 03-16-2016 at 02:36 PM.
Makes me think of his pre-draft workout video.
"Questions about his defensive intensity"
He's a longshot but Spurs should take him if available when their time comes to pick. We could ship him to DLeague to work on outside shot, ball handling and defensive intensity.
Hopefully Pop doesn't do something stupid like ship a player to trade up for him. Especially Paul George... Just be patient and let the draft come to you.
You think he might like chicken wings?
WHAT IS PATFO THINKING?? WE NEED A DUNCAN REPLACEMENT! DIDN'T WE ALL JUST WITNESS IT AGAINST THE GRIZZLIES?? TIM DUNCAN IS DONE!
Actually, Tim was done.
And he is still a top 3 Center in the NBA right now.
What a statement. Questions about his defensive fundamentals also"Questions about his defensive intensity"
Lacking defensive intensity and fundamentals - Wow, I sure hope the Spurs don't draft this guy. He does not seem to fit the typical Spur.
If we can only find that Bowen replacement that can guard the LeBrons, Anthonys and Durants of the NBA, maybe we can see the Spurs in the finals again.
Gerald Wallace
Would be a nice backup for Richard, IMO
This was one of a quality thread. Thank you all for the laughs... richard jefferson lol
Might challenge James Anderson for the backup SF behind RJ.
He and DeJuan Blair could be a nice frontcourt to build around.
I think some people here said it would take him 2-3 years before he gets into the rotation. Instead he won finals MVP in year 3 and was up there in year 2 as one of the best players for the Spurs in the finals.
This is the video that I saw that made me want to dump that other person that was playing SF right away. I was excited about getting a young, strong, hungry kid to play SF that looked determined to make it.
Last edited by Ice009; 03-16-2016 at 08:56 PM.
Yeah, imagine Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen together!
Pass, cornrows. Trade Parker for Jimmer.
Can anyone remind me why Kawhi wasnt a lottery pick? Seems like article like these, they were sure he was going to be.
System player that can't shoot.
In all honesty, it's an interesting thought experiment to compare where he would be in year 4 if he was drafted by any other org besides the Spurs. Seriously doubt he'd be anywhere near the player he is today. If he'd never developed his shot, he could be a Jimmer.
Yup, no one could deny his work ethic though. I think he'd be a starter but nothing special. All worked out for both parties.
I still remember to this day how pissed off I was that we traded up and didn't take Chris Singleton when we had the chance. , surely if he had Chip correcting his shooting form he would've been a solid starter. But I guess that's why I'm not a scout, he's playing for Lokomotiv in Russia now lol.
Is there a date for that article?
I suspect it was some time before the draft because Kawhi was actually dropping (from top 10 to borderline lottery) the last week or so up to the draft -- allowing the Spurs to even think about getting him.
(Actually, now that I read it more carefully, it's clear that the article was written before the lottery even happened.)
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