The Kawhi Leonard Bandwagon Thread

DarkKnight · Post #41 » by **DarkKnight** » Wed May 18, 2011 8:01 pm

I really like the idea of having a versatile defender next to Demar. I think we all know that defense is never going to be DD's calling card, and really - thats not what he's here for. How much easier would it make his life if he always got to guard the weaker of the other team's wing players. Lets him use more energy on offense.

The problem with this pairing is 3-pt range...but this should be/is a focus for Demar to work on and Leonard is also improving his shot. You can always add a 3-point specialist off the bench, as they generally come cheap (guys like Daequon Cook, Eddie House, etc). Kawhi just has so much versatility and he brings what we lack - defense and rebounding.

suntzuballin · Post #42 » by **suntzuballin** » Wed May 18, 2011 9:10 pm

im on this band wagon if he can also help guard 2's as well this our guy but knight if till on the board then probly got take him but this guy i could see playin next to Demar

lolwut · Post #43 » by **lolwut** » Wed May 18, 2011 9:14 pm

His name suggests he will not be a good player.

Kawhi = ???
Leonard = I can't think of a single good Leonard in the past. Voshon Lenard's parents tried to alter their son's fate by purposely spelling the name wrong.

Dr Positivity · Post #44 » by **Dr Positivity** » Wed May 18, 2011 9:37 pm

Have to aim higher than good role player with the 5th pick

J Dilla · Post #45 » by **J Dilla** » Wed May 18, 2011 9:56 pm

AlvinWilliams_fan wrote:after watching the videos, something about him just has bust written all over him

I think its because of the lack of footage available. But come on, please don't tell me you were convinced by Ed Davis' footage last year.

Dr Positivity · Post #46 » by **Dr Positivity** » Wed May 18, 2011 10:15 pm

It should be mentioned G Wallace is a freak, freak athlete. Kawhi is a tier below guys like Wallace and Josh Smith

Post #47 » by **YogiStewart** » Wed May 18, 2011 10:16 pm

every year, there's 1 prospect that's overhyped.

he's this year's Ajinca

Pooh_Jeter · Post #48 » by **Pooh_Jeter** » Wed May 18, 2011 10:35 pm

Dr Mufasa wrote:Have to aim higher than good role player with the 5th pick

In this year's draft getting a good role player with anything other than a top 2 pick will probably be seen as a victory.

I think Leonard's worst case scenario is decent role player, his upside is a solid starter at the 3. I think him reaching his upside is a lot more realistic than the Euro's and Biyombo.

Knight, Kemba and Leonard are the three guys I covet at the moment. It will be interesting to see how the workouts go.

Doctorb23 · Post #49 » by **Doctorb23** » Wed May 18, 2011 10:47 pm

I watched a few SDSU games this year and was impressed. I don't think his tournament was as good. but I would be happy getting him. I would be happy with him, Kanter, or Knight, maybe even Walker.
we will get one of them. Wonder if we can move Kleiza's contract. it could be that whichever contract Colangelo can move (Calderon vs Kleiza) may dictate which way we go in the draft, if kanter is not there for us.

J Dilla · Post #50 » by **J Dilla** » Wed May 18, 2011 11:52 pm

YogiStewart wrote:every year, there's 1 prospect that's overhyped.

he's this year's Ajinca

I have a feeling that everyone is overhyped in this draft, even Irving and Williams. This draft flat out sucks

but it all depends on what Raptor fans want out of their draft pick. I was hoping for a franchise changing player, but that was only possible with Irving, so now I only hope that this guy can become a 15-16PPG SF/SG Gerald Wallace type. Its a very good piece to have on your team.

bonjovi0308 · Post #51 » by **bonjovi0308** » Thu May 19, 2011 6:09 am

The question is, is Kawhi much better than James Johnson? If so, I have no problem selecting him at the 5th pick.

J Dilla · Post #52 » by **J Dilla** » Thu May 19, 2011 6:09 am

Here's the newest bits on Leonard

"Leonard can guard multiple positions, would fill a hole at the 3, plays with a motor and toughness the Wizards often lack, and has enormous upside if he continues to improve his jump shot (he was shooting the lights out in Vegas workouts). The comps to Gerald Wallace don't seem out of order, and if his jumper truly improves, he has a chance to be really special. Pairing him with John Wall could be the start of something in Washington."

One of the most highly touted prospects here training at Joe Abunassar's Impact Basketball, Kawhi Leonard was amongst the most impressive players we had the opportunity to see on a number of levels. Working on his shooting mechanics, ball handling, and overall perimeter skills, Leonard also impressed with his physical tools and stoic demeanor.

Leonard's workouts are geared towards his development as a full-time wing player. He sees himself as a long-term shooting guard/small forward with the ability to defend multiple positions, and seems to have a very good understanding of what he needs to work on. Since the day he arrived in Las Vegas, Leonard has been looking to add polish to his perimeter arsenal, especially his jump shot. We saw some promising strides in his skill level as we watched him go through extensive shoot-arounds, participate in two skill development sessions under the tutelage of Chauncey Billups, and play a few games of three-on-three.

One of the more positive signs we saw from Leonard came in the simple shooting sessions he went through on both days we watched him. Spotting up and knocking down shots from the midrange and beyond the NBA 3-point line, Leonard's shooting mechanics look significantly more consistent than they did during his days at San Diego State. His release point looked the same on almost every shot he attempted, and his footwork appeared to get better as he got more shots up.

In the skill development sessions, we got to see Leonard, along with Alec Burks and Malcolm Lee, work on a number of different spin dribble, step-back, and aggressive scoring moves. With Chauncey Billups taking time to teach each player the nuances of each of the things they were working on, Leonard looked exceptionally crisp putting the ball on the floor. Unlike Lee and Burks, Leonard has quite a bit of power to his game—something that should ease the transition he needs to make from the NCAA to the NBA.

Leonard was able to showcase that more easily than his jump shot in three-on-three competition. The rules of the game limited each team to one shot and out, meaning there were no second chance opportunities from offensive rebounds. Under those restrictions, each team was trying to get high-percentage shots on every possession.

Over the course of the games we watched, Leonard looked comfortable handling the ball in traffic and finding teammates moving without the ball. With his biggest strength, rebounding, removed from the equation here, he still made his presence felt on offense with a few midrange shots and finishes around the bucket, but did most of his damage defensively. As you'll see in our workout video, he was extremely aggressive when defending the perimeter and made some impressive plays rotating back to his man on the pick and roll. Leonard did nothing to dispel sentiments that he's one of the top defenders in this class.

Amongst all the prospects we saw here, Leonard may be the biggest beneficiary of Impact's on-court training. He's a ridiculous physical specimen with no body fat, long arms, and giant hands, but has room to improve skill-wise. He's been able to take advantage of his time here to the fullest since he loves being in the gym. With his defensive ability and workman-like interior game, Leonard's ability to showcase what he's been working on at Impact at the combine and in private workouts is worth keeping an eye on as he looks to climb up draft boards.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Wes ... z1MmAdBKT2
http://www.draftexpress.com

Macho · Post #53 » by **Macho** » Thu May 19, 2011 7:15 am

Looking at him you can tell that he'll be a beast once his body fills out.

C_Money · Post #54 » by **C_Money** » Thu May 19, 2011 7:18 am

What do they learn at those basketball camps? Everytime I see one of those videos they've got the players doing some juke move and then a wide open jump shot.

Waylon Mercy · Post #55 » by **Waylon Mercy** » Thu May 19, 2011 7:26 am

Ideally I would take Kanter and Knight before him....

But I seriously doubt those 2 will fall....

I'd rather take Leonard then a 6'0 point guard that shoots a horrible % against
College defenders, played 3 years of college already and is somewhat redundant of Bayless.

Biyombo?

Technically Bargnani, Davis, Amir, and Evans (if hes back) are all PF's.... Even Kleiza can play some 4.

Speaking of Kleiza hes gonna miss half the season, Julian Wright won't be resigned and Weems
future is dicey.

We could use a SF especially if Johnson got injured....

Leonard is not an ideal compliment to DeRozan because hes not an elite shooter but he'd still
be very solid.

It likes when the Bulls drafted Deng and had to wait a few years later to get their Rose.

Drafting Leonard would be adding a key piece and hopefully next year we get a franchise player.

endo · Post #56 » by **endo** » Thu May 19, 2011 8:46 am

Is he better than James Johnson?

duppyy · Post #57 » by **duppyy** » Thu May 19, 2011 2:46 pm

He'd be a great pick if we had Harden lol.

Post #58 » by **Morris_Shatford** » Thu May 19, 2011 3:07 pm

endo wrote:Is he better than James Johnson?

James Johnson in College:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/pr ... erId=36120

Kawhi Leonard in College:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/pr ... erId=46049

I think Leonard can be a better defender, and potentially a better rebounder.

However its 48 minutes of Johnson and Leonard playing solid defensive ball out of the three spot that has me intrigued.

phailing101 · Post #59 » by **phailing101** » Thu May 19, 2011 3:21 pm

I think he projects as a better rebounder, significantly better offensively and about the same defensively.

Is he head and shoulders above Johnson.....probably not.

Kevin Willis · Post #60 » by **Kevin Willis** » Thu May 19, 2011 3:33 pm

Yeah I agree it's not a big difference between the two but if we can't have a star at the SF position, at least we would have 2 players who can lock down the other team's star. And if you need offense then insert Kleiza when he gets back.

I saw every SDSU game I could this past season because I liked Amir/Haslem's game and Leonard reminded me of a SF version of them. He can guard 1 - 3 (maybe a smaller 4). He guarded Jimmer and challenged him. He's a vacuum on the boards. He's only 6-7 and Johnson is 6-9 but his motor is pretty high too. And at SDSU he should've gotten more touches. Their point guard - Gay - was trigger happy so quite a few of his points were garbage points.