How Athletic is Kawhi Leonard?

[RaptorsLife]

He's athletic but he isn't defined by it.

He will have short fall off in 30s. He just gets to his spots and his shooting is unbelievable

[Black Jack]

Athletic enough to match up well vs. prime LeBron in the finals in 1 on 1 coverage.

[CIN-C-STAR]

I think his athleticism has declined since his injury.

Nah, we just ask him to do different things.

We need him to score, spurs needed him to lock people down. That's OG's job.

He's beast mode on offence now.

He was the Spurs' #1 option and his usage percentage has actually gone down from his last seasons in San Antonio, so no idea what you're talking about.

[CIN-C-STAR]

Athletic enough to match up well vs. prime LeBron in the finals in 1 on 1 coverage.

Lebron averaged 28 points on 57 percent shooting that series; TS% 68 percent, eFG% 65 percent, and Ortg 120.
Kawhi did well but the idea that he locked Lebron up or something is significantly overstated.
The Spurs won that series because their team offense was unstoppable.

[Black Jack]

Athletic enough to match up well vs. prime LeBron in the finals in 1 on 1 coverage.

Lebron averaged 28 points on 57 percent shooting that series; TS% 68 percent, eFG% 65 percent, and Ortg 120.
Kawhi did well but the idea that he locked Lebron up or something is significantly overstated.
The Spurs won that series because their team offense was unstoppable.

LeBron's gonna get his. But still...my point is, anybody athletic enough to single cover LeBron in his athletic prime is pretty athletic.

[Tomjas]

I’d be surprised if he wasn’t very quick over the ground

Reminds me of the Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe

Incredibly long & languid so you get lulled into thinking that they aren’t moving quickly

[Lalouie]

He has amazing lateral quickness, is very strong, but he doesn't seem that fast or quick. He's got solid body control and quick reflexes.

How athletic is he? What's the closest comparison?

he's physically gifted.

his hands make him a 1' > 2' longer when he stretches out and his hands allow him to stretch out the way he does. he becomes virtually unguardable that way because he is 2' further than wherever you think he is. imagine if say kevin love had kawhi's hands, klove would be able to stretch away, beyond, or OVER anyone guarding him. the ball would be like a grapefruit in his hands. it would make up for any lack of bounce kluv has.

athletically, he's a "basketball athlete", as opposed to athletic like westbrook. another basketball athlete i think is jrue

[TheGOATRises007]

I think his athleticism has declined since his injury.

Nah, we just ask him to do different things.

We need him to score, spurs needed him to lock people down. That's OG's job.

He's beast mode on offence now.

Spurs needed him to score too.

Did you not watch the 2017 Spurs in the playoffs? Leonard was an offensive force.

[r0drig0lac]

Kyrie, Arenas type athletes. More lateral and strong than vertical. But is unbelievable laterally. First step, stop n go.. strength.. and overall quickness is unmatched.

He's also listed at 6'6/6'7 but there's no chance he's taller than 6'4. In San Ant he was barely taller than Tony Parker and shorter than Ginobili. Dude is just impressive.

Athletic enough to match up well vs. prime LeBron in the finals in 1 on 1 coverage.

Lebron averaged 28 points on 57 percent shooting that series; TS% 68 percent, eFG% 65 percent, and Ortg 120.
Kawhi did well but the idea that he locked Lebron up or something is significantly overstated.
The Spurs won that series because their team offense was unstoppable.

when his primary defender was Kawhi, his statistics were mediocre? (last 3 games?), so it comes from there the "kawhi locked lebron" thing

[Frozzy]

He is above average but not in the realm of Westbrook, Lebron, Giannis

It's his length & strength that sets him apart.

[reborn123]

Never really saw him go for rim rockers but it seems to me he's holding back and just calculating the explosiveness he needs to get the job done versus let's say Westbrook who you feel just keeps going at 100%

[ATLTimekeeper]

He's an average athlete by NBA standards in terms of hops and fluidity. He's top shelf in terms of strength and balance. In the Boston game he casually walked Marcus Morris right under the basket from the 3 point line and layed it up and in like he was practicing with an assistant coach. That's maybe the strongest wing defender in the league and he babied him.

[TDotJon]

he's a shorter version of the greek freak

[D.Brasco]

he's a shorter version of the greek freak

The freaky thing is despite the height gap for Kawhi they both have 7'3" wingspans.

[Sign5]

He's elite with everything considered.

To me there is:
Below average
Average
Above average
Elite
Freak

I put Kawhi in the elite category due him excelling in every category but 'vert'. He has the strength, quickness, physical makeup(huge hands & wingspab) and body control etc.

On the other hand LeBron, Westbrook and Giannis are FREAKS as they excel in practically every athletic category and them some.

[dhsilv2]

pound for pound I think he might be the strongest guy in the league. Players just bounce off him

He was 230 lbs whne he entered the league I'm pretty sure he somewhere north of 240 lbs but his core strength especially on his legs is what gives him his power.

The lower body is actually the key to LeBron's strength too and a big reason he can get to the rim so easily and fight through contact.

In sports strength is 90% lower body 10% upper body. But boys love them biceps...

[dhsilv2]

From what I can tell, he's a top tier vertical speed guy, top tier strength, not that great latte rally, with an ok vertical leap. He however combines this with freaky long arms, HUGE hands, and he's got above average height. Where he lacks in fluidity he makes up for in his build and an explosive first step. I would however guess he's below average at decelerating.

[HBK_Kliq_33]

Athletic enough to match up well vs. prime LeBron in the finals in 1 on 1 coverage.

Lebron averaged 28 points on 57 percent shooting that series; TS% 68 percent, eFG% 65 percent, and Ortg 120.
Kawhi did well but the idea that he locked Lebron up or something is significantly overstated.
The Spurs won that series because their team offense was unstoppable.

There is stats that show LeBron was being passive when Kawhi was guarding him, usually passing up the ball not being in attack mode. That's as close as you'll get to "shutting down" a superstar.

Watch on YouTube

[NoDopeOnSundays]

he's a shorter version of the greek freak

The freaky thing is despite the height gap for Kawhi they both have 7'3" wingspans.

I would think Giannis' wingspan got bigger since that measurement was taken when he was 18 and "only" 6'9.

[lobosloboslobos]

it's always confusing to talk about athleticism because everyone means different things by it. but the other night Mark Jones said there was a 'lethal precision' to his game and that is how i would describe his athleticism. he plays with extreme physical control, using his very very good speed, hops, strength, quickness, handle, etc like a black belt, never just blasting out of the gate but always maximizing the situation. To me all of that makes him an unbelievable athlete. Just look at the way he releases the ball. his jump and release is shockingly efficient and the ball travels almost without any arc and still swishes most of the time. type of guy who would win a decathlon though not get the gold in the 100m or high jump.