The 2019-20 Kawhi Leonard Thread

sca · Post #1 » by **sca** » Fri Oct 25, 2019 6:29 am

I think he and Giannis are the best players in the league right now.

G1 vs LAL: 32 min / 30 pts / 6 reb / 5 ast / 2stl / 1 blk / .641 TS% / +5
G2 vs GSW: 21 min / 21 pts / 5 reb / 9 ast / 0 stl / 0 blk / .560 TS% / +27

Just thought that he deserves a thread of his own.

HBK_Kliq_33 · Post #2 » by **HBK_Kliq_33** » Fri Oct 25, 2019 6:54 am

33.3 PER in first 2 games for Leonard. Kawhi and Giannis will probably meet up in finals this year.

70sFan · Post #3 » by **70sFan** » Fri Oct 25, 2019 7:18 am

Clippers bench looks dominant so far, but it's important to note that you can't draw conclusions after first 2 games of the season. We all know that Kawhi is a great player but you can't just say now that Clippers will make finals.

HBK_Kliq_33 · Post #4 » by **HBK_Kliq_33** » Fri Oct 25, 2019 7:39 am

70sFan wrote:Clippers bench looks dominant so far, but it's important to note that you can't draw conclusions after first 2 games of the season. We all know that Kawhi is a great player but you can't just say now that Clippers will make finals.

The starting linup dominated today, the bench had all negative BPM guys besides two players. As far as making the finals, it's nearly a guarantee they make it. Leonard is effortlessly destroying teams now scoring a point a minute and averaging 7APG. Once George returns? They become a 1996 Bulls-2005 Spurs-2017 Warriors level team.

Gooner · Post #5 » by **Gooner** » Fri Oct 25, 2019 8:46 am

Where are all those "experts" who said that Kawhi isn't a good playmaker? They really just look at the boxscore like kids.

lambchop · Post #6 » by **lambchop** » Fri Oct 25, 2019 10:41 am

Kawhi is definitely the best in the league. And I don't think it's close, tbh.
Lebron is a better passer, curry is a better shooter etc., but if I'm just going by putting a team on his backness Kawhi is better than them all by a significant margin. He's a true master of the midrange too.

Funcrusher · Post #7 » by **Funcrusher** » Fri Oct 25, 2019 11:50 am

Gooner wrote:Where are all those "experts" who said that Kawhi isn't a good playmaker? They really just look at the boxscore like kids.

Pretty sure your entire argument is based on his boxscore numbers over a span of two games.

MisterHibachi · Post #8 » by **MisterHibachi** » Fri Oct 25, 2019 11:54 am

This team has 10+ SRS potential when PG gets back. They might be as scary as the KD Warriors. Insane depth and the best player in the league.

Gooner · Post #9 » by **Gooner** » Fri Oct 25, 2019 12:11 pm

Funcrusher wrote:
Gooner wrote:Where are all those "experts" who said that Kawhi isn't a good playmaker? They really just look at the boxscore like kids.

Pretty sure your entire argument is based on his boxscore numbers over a span of two games.

I've been making that argument before, I'm aware of the context behind the numbers you know.

r0drig0lac · Post #10 » by **r0drig0lac** » Fri Oct 25, 2019 12:29 pm

HBK_Kliq_33 wrote:
70sFan wrote:Clippers bench looks dominant so far, but it's important to note that you can't draw conclusions after first 2 games of the season. We all know that Kawhi is a great player but you can't just say now that Clippers will make finals.

The starting linup dominated today, the bench had all negative BPM guys besides two players. As far as making the finals, it's nearly a guarantee they make it. Leonard is effortlessly destroying teams now scoring a point a minute and averaging 7APG. Once George returns? They become a 1996 Bulls-2005 Spurs-2017 Warriors level team.

Relax, people will begin to overestimate Kawhi's support roster to minimize Kawhi indirectly., like in previous seasons, these people have never done the same with Curry or Durant (even though they both played even better teams in all your prime/peak) but will still be here on every Clippers win.
Watch Kawhi's support roster miraculously and coincidentally turn into a super roster throughout the season

70sFan · Post #11 » by **70sFan** » Fri Oct 25, 2019 1:17 pm

r0drig0lac wrote:
HBK_Kliq_33 wrote:
70sFan wrote:Clippers bench looks dominant so far, but it's important to note that you can't draw conclusions after first 2 games of the season. We all know that Kawhi is a great player but you can't just say now that Clippers will make finals.

The starting linup dominated today, the bench had all negative BPM guys besides two players. As far as making the finals, it's nearly a guarantee they make it. Leonard is effortlessly destroying teams now scoring a point a minute and averaging 7APG. Once George returns? They become a 1996 Bulls-2005 Spurs-2017 Warriors level team.

Relax, people will begin to overestimate Kawhi's support roster to minimize Kawhi indirectly., like in previous seasons, these people have never done the same with Curry or Durant (even though they both played even better teams in all your prime/peak) but will still be here on every Clippers win.
Watch Kawhi's support roster miraculously and coincidentally turn into a super roster throughout the season

Sorry but you know nothing about my agendas or lack of them. Kawhi is spectacular player and he has very good team around him. That's even without Paul George. They are title favorites but some people crown them after 2 games. Is it me who overreacts here?

liamliam1234 · Post #12 » by **liamliam1234** » Fri Oct 25, 2019 1:18 pm

The support roster which won 48 games and upgraded Shai and Gallinari into Kawhi and Paul George? Yes, total invention it is a good supporting cast, just like when we “invented” the Raptors having a good supporting cast. :roll:

No one is saying the support is as good as the 2015-16 Warriors around Curry (and especially not around either Curry or Durant), or even necessarily as good as the 2012 Thunder around Durant, but great strawman.

70sFan · Post #13 » by **70sFan** » Fri Oct 25, 2019 1:28 pm

I am excited to see Kawhi in this season. I hope that he'll fit well with PG and they'll go to the finals. I'm also interested in Kawhi's defense and playmaking this season, because I hope he'll be even better in these aspect.

Dr Spaceman · Post #14 » by **Dr Spaceman** » Fri Oct 25, 2019 1:51 pm

2 very comfortable wins against playoff teams with no PG and Kawhi averaging 25 minutes. They look like a much better regular season team than I thought.

I am waaaaay upping my predictions for this team. 60 wins and a title is starting to look like a more and more likely scenario.

Dr Spaceman · Post #15 » by **Dr Spaceman** » Fri Oct 25, 2019 1:56 pm

r0drig0lac wrote:
HBK_Kliq_33 wrote:
70sFan wrote:Clippers bench looks dominant so far, but it's important to note that you can't draw conclusions after first 2 games of the season. We all know that Kawhi is a great player but you can't just say now that Clippers will make finals.

The starting linup dominated today, the bench had all negative BPM guys besides two players. As far as making the finals, it's nearly a guarantee they make it. Leonard is effortlessly destroying teams now scoring a point a minute and averaging 7APG. Once George returns? They become a 1996 Bulls-2005 Spurs-2017 Warriors level team.

Relax, people will begin to overestimate Kawhi's support roster to minimize Kawhi indirectly., like in previous seasons, these people have never done the same with Curry or Durant (even though they both played even better teams in all your prime/peak) but will still be here on every Clippers win.
Watch Kawhi's support roster miraculously and coincidentally turn into a super roster throughout the season

Kawhi is a great player, probably the best in the league. Nobody disputes that.

But he has been incredibly blessed with the casts he’s been handed. The Spurs still won 48 games the year he was injured and repeated that performance after he left. He joined a 59 win Raptor team. This Clippers team also won 48 before adding Kawhi and George.

He is a great player and he has played with great casts. Both of these things are true.

Bergmaniac · Post #16 » by **Bergmaniac** » Fri Oct 25, 2019 2:02 pm

Gooner wrote:Where are all those "experts" who said that Kawhi isn't a good playmaker? They really just look at the boxscore like kids.

Or maybe he worked on this part of his game this summer and improved it. Crazy thought, I know...

udfa · Post #17 » by **udfa** » Fri Oct 25, 2019 2:03 pm

Kawhi is incredible. Moves like a machine when he has the ball. If the Clippers win the title and Kawhi is FMVP he'll convert most of the remaining holdouts. FMVP for 3 different franchises would be one of the greatest accomplishments in league history.

Joey Wheeler · Post #18 » by **Joey Wheeler** » Fri Oct 25, 2019 2:11 pm

Not convinced by the Clippers despite winning the first 2 in convincing fashion. I don't think they're as good as the Raptors last year (and I'm not talking in hindsight, I called the Raps as a lock to make the Finals and be competitive with GS as soon as the Kawhi trade was made). They seem too reliant on role players/average talent giving them big production, which is generally not a winning formula deep into the playoffs. Will have to see if they can simultaneously integrate George while allowing the "marginal" players to stay strong contributors in smaller roles.

Baski · Post #19 » by **Baski** » Fri Oct 25, 2019 2:24 pm

Bergmaniac wrote:
Gooner wrote:Where are all those "experts" who said that Kawhi isn't a good playmaker? They really just look at the boxscore like kids.

Or maybe he worked on this part of his game this summer and improved it. Crazy thought, I know...

Or maybe the 2 games thing. I'm pretty sure a lot of mediocre playmakers have had 2-game stretches of 8 apg. A bold statement I know.

Baski · Post #20 » by **Baski** » Fri Oct 25, 2019 2:30 pm

Joey Wheeler wrote:Not convinced by the Clippers despite winning the first 2 in convincing fashion. I don't think they're as good as the Raptors last year (and I'm not talking in hindsight, I called the Raps as a lock to make the Finals and be competitive with GS as soon as the Kawhi trade was made). They seem too reliant on role players/average talent giving them big production, which is generally not a winning formula deep into the playoffs. Will have to see if they can simultaneously integrate George while allowing the "marginal" players to stay strong contributors in smaller roles.

To your point about reliance on bench players to produce:
Over the past 2 games, the Clippers bench production looks to be additive to their stellar starter production. Based on these two games, it would be insane if they went through the season averaging something crazy like 125 ppg because they've found a way for the bench players to get theirs alongside the starters.
They might lead the league in FG%