Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard leaves draft-day peers behind

[cherylsteele]

I thought the Pacers picked him then traded his right to the Spurs for George hill

[Mugen]

Kawhi's shot has greatly improved but to me the biggest surprise is how much better he looks now athletically.

At the start of the season, I thought he was an average athlete at best who'd have trouble guarding 2s and the quicker 3s. But as the season has progressed, he's shown to be a pretty good leaper with solid handles. I'm also happy that Pop has loosened the reins a little bit and let him create off the dribble and push it on the fastbreak.

Sky's the limit for him. One of my top 5 fav players on the team right now. Best draft day move since taking TP.

[DPG21920]

He just has so much potential and a great at ude. Tomorrows game is a big test and I'm really looking forward to watching Kawhi. He's hard to peg because of his demeanor, but he certainly has considerable upside on both ends of the floor.

[024]

i'm not as high on leonard as some spur fans. i think he'll be an above average defender with the potential to be a pretty decent lock down defender. i still don't see him becoming an all star caliber offensive player though. hard to really find a NBA comparison for him though because he's not an explosive athlete like marion or iguodola, more talented than most average SFs, but not offensively talented enough to be a scoring SF like sjax. maybe he can be a more consistent john salmons.

[hooperflash]

i'm not as high on leonard as some spur fans. i think he'll be an above average defender with the potential to be a pretty decent lock down defender. i still don't see him becoming an all star caliber offensive player though. hard to really find a NBA comparison for him though because he's not an explosive athlete like marion or iguodola, more talented than most average SFs, but not offensively talented enough to be a scoring SF like sjax. maybe he can be a more consistent john salmons.

we'll see in due time, I expect big things out of him.

[smaka]

I think he can be one of the most important guys in our team in the future. He is talented, he has athleticism and has shown a lot of improvement during his rookie year. Great perspective for Spurs!

[hooperflash]

Rookie of the Year Nominee Video

[007nites]

What I love about Kawhi is that he's so silent and serious, letting his game do the talking. He never gets too high nor too low, and that's why he'll be a very good and perhaps great player for years to come.

That's what makes him a true Spur.

[ace3g]

Kawhi has made major strides since this:

[Gagnrath]

21,500 posts and I'm still waiting for one that doesn't suck

Wow you still read them? You seem to be a glutton for punishment, I think most people stopped about 15,000 posts ago; I sort of figured one or two might have made decent on the million monkeys with typewriters making Shakespeare theory but I'll take your word for it if you've read them.

[xellos88330]

Kawhi has made major strides since this:

My favorite part about that, was the next meeting. Gay was locked up something fierce. It says so much about the kids character and desire to get better. Leonard is going to have a bright future in the NBA and as a San Antonio Spurs if he continues to get better.