Do you think Leuer is a legit starting PF today? Especially the way the game has evolved?

[bwgood77]

What do you think? He's been extremely impressive to me. I mean, at often times it seems like he is the best player out there....his bbiq seems pretty damn high. Great shooter with range and active rebounder.

[thamadkant]

No. He is soft.
He is same level as the McRoberts, Hawes etc.
You start him only because there is no one else better on the roster... Which would mean the team is bad.

But as a backup PF and C (small ball). He is fine.

[blacksun]

I like him better than Terrence Jones tbh

[Mulhollanddrive]

It would mean our SF would have to be a superstar.

[bigfoot]

Yes ... Leuer is most definitely a starting caliber power forward. Two of Leuer's numbers stand out to me.

1) Rebounding per 36 minutes is better than 10 per game. That makes him a top 15 rebounder at his position.

2) Shooting percentage ... When I think of star power forward like Griffin or Amare-in-his-hey-day you think of a player that is going to shoot above 50 percent. What you see these days is power forwards who have to shoot the three and therefore have much lower shooting percentages. Leuer's percentage (.480) is right on par with many of the stud power forwards in the league (even better in many cases).

There are two other areas that really standout

1) He is freaking smart on the floor. He rarely makes boneheaded plays. He doesn't turnover the ball very often. He's a very good defender.

2) He's way more athletic than he looks. He has surprised us all with some of his dunks. I'd guess this hidden athleticism, combined with his smarts, is what helps he get a lot of his rebounds.

McD found a gem in Leuer. He is only 26 (will be 27 in May). He can hit the three ball. We need to keep him so he can grow with Bledsoe, Len, and Booker.

[Foliohattu]

Don't think he's a starting level PF per se, but depending on the other players on the starting lineup he can totally be serviceable. Do think he's a like 10 times a better a fit than Markieff and top-5 contract in the league this year. Most people probably didn't think Frye was a real starting level pf, but he was just a great fit with Goran etc.

[bigfoot]

Interesting fact ... Leuer leads our team in double-doubles with 5. Considering he has only started 10 games and averaged only 20 minutes per game for the season that is pretty darn good. As a full time starter he could be at 11-13 double-doubles which would put him in pretty good company when compared to the rest of the league.

http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/player/_/stat/double-doubles/sort/doubleDouble/qualified/false

[Cutter]

No. He is soft.
He is same level as the McRoberts, Hawes etc.
You start him only because there is no one else better on the roster... Which would mean the team is bad.

But as a backup PF and C (small ball). He is fine.

This.

[Qwigglez]

You count the games since November 25th where Leuer has played over 20 minutes and he is averaging 14.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2 assist, almost 1 3 per game, on 55% shooting from the field. That sounds like quality starting material to me. He's by no means an all-star, but he does what he needs to do and knows his own limitations.

[garrick]

We haven't seen if we he can keep up this production with heavy minutes over the course of a season yet.

I see him as a Nick Collison type who is a serviceable player but isn't the type of player that will get you to the next level but I hope he proves me wrong on this.

Best case scenario he becomes a Gugliotta type player?

[jcsunsfan]

You count the games since November 25th where Leuer has played over 20 minutes and he is averaging 14.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2 assist, almost 1 3 per game, on 55% shooting from the field. That sounds like quality starting material to me. He's by no means an all-star, but he does what he needs to do and knows his own limitations.

Agreed. Cannot imagine someone who watches him saying he is soft. He goes in an bangs, he does not shy away from contact. He is not a star player, and this team needs one. So, he is perfectly fine as a starter on a contending team if there is a star on the frontline somewhere else. If you can find a star level upgrade over him, you do it.

But you could say that about every position on this team outside maybe pg (Bledsoe).

[GMATCallahan]

Yes ... Leuer is most definitely a starting caliber power forward. Two of Leuer's numbers stand out to me.

1) Rebounding per 36 minutes is better than 10 per game. That makes him a top 15 rebounder at his position.

2) Shooting percentage ... When I think of star power forward like Griffin or Amare-in-his-hey-day you think of a player that is going to shoot above 50 percent. What you see these days is power forwards who have to shoot the three and therefore have much lower shooting percentages. Leuer's percentage (.480) is right on par with many of the stud power forwards in the league (even better in many cases).

There are two other areas that really standout

1) He is freaking smart on the floor. He rarely makes boneheaded plays. He doesn't turnover the ball very often. He's a very good defender.

2) He's way more athletic than he looks. He has surprised us all with some of his dunks. I'd guess this hidden athleticism, combined with his smarts, is what helps he get a lot of his rebounds.

McD found a gem in Leuer. He is only 26 (will be 27 in May). He can hit the three ball. We need to keep him so he can grow with Bledsoe, Len, and Booker.

Of course, per minute rates will not necessarily hold up over larger volumes of minutes.

[AtheJ415]

Yes ... Leuer is most definitely a starting caliber power forward. Two of Leuer's numbers stand out to me.

1) Rebounding per 36 minutes is better than 10 per game. That makes him a top 15 rebounder at his position.

2) Shooting percentage ... When I think of star power forward like Griffin or Amare-in-his-hey-day you think of a player that is going to shoot above 50 percent. What you see these days is power forwards who have to shoot the three and therefore have much lower shooting percentages. Leuer's percentage (.480) is right on par with many of the stud power forwards in the league (even better in many cases).

There are two other areas that really standout

1) He is freaking smart on the floor. He rarely makes boneheaded plays. He doesn't turnover the ball very often. He's a very good defender.

2) He's way more athletic than he looks. He has surprised us all with some of his dunks. I'd guess this hidden athleticism, combined with his smarts, is what helps he get a lot of his rebounds.

McD found a gem in Leuer. He is only 26 (will be 27 in May). He can hit the three ball. We need to keep him so he can grow with Bledsoe, Len, and Booker.

Completely agree. He's also a more versatile scorer than people realize. He's not a 3 point shooter alone. Once a game or so he'll take his guy one on one and hit a turnaround mid-range jumper or another similar shot. He's only 26, and still improving. His net offensive and defensive numbers are very strong as well. He's versatile enough to play the 4 and 5 without losing too much. If he keeps it up he's easily a top 30 player at his position, making him a starting caliber PF.

That said, I don't think he's an elite PF. He's probably in that 22-30 category, meaning he's a low-tier starter/elite backup. We need to keep him this offseason. That would be my #1 priority of our own FAs.

[kennydorglas]

Comparing with some stretch 4 in this league, he's really above average rebounder, passer AND defender.
So yeah... we have a really nice player in our hands.

[GMATCallahan]

We haven't seen if we he can keep up this production with heavy minutes over the course of a season yet.

I see him as a Nick Collison type who is a serviceable player but isn't the type of player that will get you to the next level but I hope he proves me wrong on this.

Best case scenario he becomes a Gugliotta type player?

... seems like a stretch. Over a five-season span from 1996-2000, Gugliotta averaged 17.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.9 blocks, a .470 field goal percentage, and an .800 free throw percentage in 5.2 free throw attempts per game, twice topping 20.0 points per game and making an All-Star Game. He possessed a wider, stronger body and a sharper face-up game inside the arc.

I do not believe that Leuer gets the Suns to the next level at all. He is a nice find who fits the Suns' offensive scheme and whose total game and athleticism are better than one would have imagined at first glance. But eventually, I believe that Phoenix still needs an upgrade at the power forward position.

As a guy who can fill in and provide depth and versatility, though, Leuer is worthwhile.

[NTB]

Leuer is good at creating his own shot and that's important for a stretch four. He doesn't only take jump shots. He can also drive.

[Damkac]

I really like him and wish SUns keep him. Could he be starting pf? It depends on who the other starters are.