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That and he has to guard the best the league has to offer. Guys like Kevin Durant and LeBron James are going to make rookies look silly every time. Especially someone like Kawhi who's undersized compared to those two.
Hey, Bowen was out of the league by then.
That and he has to guard the best the league has to offer. Guys like Kevin Durant and LeBron James are going to make rookies look silly every time. Especially someone like Kawhi who's undersized compared to those two.
Oh dam I was drunk last night, those look like some Lebron James numbers lmao... But when he gets the reigns I can definitely seeing him putting up good numbers. What makes him different though is his all around game. Yeah everyone can score in the league if they got the green light but not many can ALSO be a great defender. The kid can rebound too...he looks like one of those guys that's always trying to improve his weaknesses. He's definitely going to get the max potential with this squad too wanting to put him as the face of the future. I can't wait to see his game develop though.
The beauty of drafting and raising your own star
Kawhi is gonna have that Lebron James type of body in the future so he'll be a force since he can actually shoot better than LBJ ha
The Spurs will be able a field a good team in the future, build around Kawhi and Parker but they will need an all-star big to contend. Imo, Kawhi will be an all star eventually.
Pop's remark about Kwahi being a lifer should be read in the context of his statement a year or so ago about someone being the cornerstone of the team. Perhaps too much wine with lunch????
That being said, Kwahi is going to be a very solid player and with luck and pluck, a star for the Spurs. However, at this point I don't see him as All-NBA.
Doesn't have his point guard skills though. He'll be a solid but not amazing passer, fwiw. As the Spurs move away from the Big 3 era I expect him to be the first option though.
anyone know what his weight was listed as last year? on the training camp roster that was handed out last night he's listed at 225.
Pretty much the same. Doesn't seem like they specifically trained him to bulk up.
He will be better than Paul George.
He is already fairly strong, and most guys add strength and bulk with age in their mid 20s. Working on keeping his speed up is probably long term the right way to go as the rest will probably come as natural progression of just being a fit athletic guy.
imo his already better then paul george who has fallen in love with the 3pt jumpshot, ive watch many pacers game last season...dude is just another granger who loves to pull up jumpers then usinh his size to penetrate the lane and score...
Only thing that worries me about Kawhi becoming a star is I question whether he will ever be able to score consistently off the dribble. In order to be the #1 option on a team in the NBA, you've got to be able to break down teams off the dribble and create opportunities for yourself and others. He's got an incredible work ethic and a great at ude, and I think he may develop those skills, but Kawhi just isn't a natural scorer/playmaker. I was also upset that he didn't use his athleticism more last year. He doesn't seem to know just how freakish an athlete he is, and all of us saw glimpses of it last year. I think the Shawn Marion comparison is a really good one. In his prime, Shawn was an incredible athlete who thrived in the open court and could shut down opposing scorers - he also could hit wide open 3's and get to the rim. The guy averaged 20+ PPG a couple times, and got close several more times. 4-time allstar. Again though, he was never a guy who you could throw the ball to and say go get us a bucket for yourself or one of your teammates.
We're all in for a real treat getting to watch Kawhi for the next decade+, he's gonna be a really good player in this league.
A lot of the shortcomings in Kawhi's game last year had to do with no training camp and almost no practices. The Spurs also didn't quite realize what they had early on, and for those same reasons. KL was also caught behind RJ until the trade deadline. I have to be honest with you: I was shocked how good he was anyway. He came in with the dreaded "tweener" forward label, and wound up showing solid SF skills and even being given SG assignments, like bringing the ball up the floor.
The one thing Kawhi REALLY has going for him is that he burns to be great. It's the sole difference between a guy like Kobe and a guy like Vince Carter. Their talent levels aren't that far apart. What separates them is the commitment to work on and improve their games AFTER they come into the league, and their fire to be the absolute best they can be. Too many guys like VC are just content to be here, cash their paychecks, and rake in what endorsements they can, but they are mentally weak, and "shy away from contact" (or the ball) during crunch time. That will never be Kawhi. He will hit whatever his ceiling is.
I don't disagree with any of this. I still have question marks on if he can lead a franchise though. I don't get the impression that he is ever going to play at a high enough level with the ball in his hands for him to be an elite superstar in this league.
For me, it comes down to: Will Kawhi either be really good or a superstar? For now, until I can see him become more of a playmaker/scorer with the ball in his hands, I am going to temper expectations.
In the camp of tempering expectations until results are conclusive. But Kawhi had a better than average rookie season with no training camp and a primary back up role until Jefferson was traded. Which by the way think happened (the Jefferson trade) do to Kawhi's amazing grasp of the game at a rookie level. If that didn't happen we might not have seen the trade of Jefferson.
But the young athlete has all the tangibles to become a future all star but would be just as happy if he just steadily improves each aspect of his game in defense and scoring while attacking the rim while remaining effective from the three. In other words, I think he has to improve his all around game to levels of consistent to really good to obtain all star consideration. But again, it wouldn't be a disappointment if he should come close.
Found this through 48MOH
What I love about Leonard is that he kept his level in the post-season, where most rookies hit the wall after a good performance in the RS.
SA has the SF position set for the next 10+ years. Thank god teams were dumb enough to pass on him 14 times. If the draft happens today, He would probably be a top 3 pick.
He even got better in the playoffs, going from 49/37/77 shooting to 50/45/81 shooting.
And yeah, if the 2011 draft were redone I'd have it go Irving/Faried/Leonard...
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