Kawhi Leonard developing into a scoring Rodman?

[The 24th Letter]

Kawhi is by no means a product of Pops system

Jefferson, Udoka, Bowen, Jackson etc.

We ask our SFs to do little more but knock down open 3'a

Kawhis been given the keys to expand his game...Pop knew he had the skillset

[jeebs9]

Re: Kawhi Leonard developing into a scoring Rodman?

I don't know about a Paul George. He is very is limited offensively. K-Why scored most of his points on put-backs, spots-ups and cuts to the basket. To say he is going to take over a game for 40 is BS. He can't create for himself. And don't get me wrong he can improve 10 folds. But right now. He has a way to go before we call him an All-Star. I'll wait until next season before I start jumping any where. Most of his points have come off assist. He doesn't shoot any mid range shoots (at all).

[turty11]

Re: Kawhi Leonard developing into a scoring Rodman?

I don't know about a Paul George. He is very K-Why is limited offensively. K-Why scored most of his points on put-backs, spots-ups and cuts to the basket. To say he is going to take over a game for 40 is BS. He can't create for himself. And don't get me wrong he can improve 10 folds. But right now. He has a way to go before we call him an All-Star. I'll wait until next season before I start jumping any where. Most of his points have come off assist. He doesn't shoot any mid range shoots (at all).

i dont think he will ever have the playmaking/vision of george but i could see him developing into the rest of him offensively

[jeebs9]

Re: Kawhi Leonard developing into a scoring Rodman?

This is why he reminds me more of Shawn Marion right now.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/aRFbug05aFg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[wwharton]

Re: Kawhi Leonard developing into a scoring Rodman?

Am I off base in thinking his ceiling will be that of IND. Ron Artest?

With some work Kawhi could be a "poor mans" Pippen.

Solid body, strength, hustle, rebounding, decent mid, decent 3 ball, good defense.

Both Artest and Pippen were not only league MVP candidates but pretty much point forwards where they were responsible for putting up 20-30 points a game and running the offense. So no, I don't think either of these are good comparisons... however both are better than Rodman. This thread is just another case of players getting overvalued bc of the finals when all eyes are on them.

Marion isn't a bad comparison production wise, but people seem to be undervaluing Marion. We'll see if Leonard can play under sized PF like Marion... not so sure about that. I actually don't think Wallace is a bad comparison either. Not to say one is better than the other, but the ceiling for both in terms of their style of play is somewhat similar.

[SteelersFreak]

Re: Kawhi Leonard developing into a scoring Rodman?

Both Artest and Pippen were not only league MVP candidates but pretty much point forwards where they were responsible for putting up 20-30 points a game and running the offense. So no, I don't think either of these are good comparisons... however both are better than Rodman. This thread is just another case of players getting overvalued bc of the finals when all eyes are on them.

Marion isn't a bad comparison production wise, but people seem to be undervaluing Marion. We'll see if Leonard can play under sized PF like Marion... not so sure about that. I actually don't think Wallace is a bad comparison either. Not to say one is better than the other, but the ceiling for both in terms of their style of play is somewhat similar.

Yeah, the people acting like comparing him to Marion is an insult or something is pretty silly. I'd say in his prime Marion was a top 20 player in the league.

[JasonWilliams55]

Re: Kawhi Leonard developing into a scoring Rodman?

Both Artest and Pippen were not only league MVP candidates but pretty much point forwards where they were responsible for putting up 20-30 points a game and running the offense. So no, I don't think either of these are good comparisons...

With some work Kawhi could be a "poor mans" Pippen

Meaning with some work (ie getting better on areas he's not good at) he COULD be a poor mans (a cheap imitation) Pippen. I think the comparison is fairly straight forward on the individual level. Again, athletic, solid build, good defense, work ethic from what I read about Kawhi. Please explain why you think its a bad comparison though, as I am interested.

Pip was a beast no doubt, he also had MJ, Phil, etc etc there with him. Yes he had a fab year during the retirement. Kawhi is just starting out and is behind TP, TD and Manu, they are on the way out, time will tell if Kawhi grows into anything special, it will also be interesting to see which direction the Spurs go in the future.

[wwharton]

Re: Kawhi Leonard developing into a scoring Rodman?

Meaning with some work (ie getting better on areas he's not good at) he COULD be a poor mans (a cheap imitation) Pippen. I think the comparison is fairly straight forward on the individual level. Again, athletic, solid build, good defense, work ethic from what I read about Kawhi. Please explain why you think its a bad comparison though, as I am interested.

Pip was a beast no doubt, he also had MJ, Phil, etc etc there with him. Yes he had a fab year during the retirement. Kawhi is just starting out and is behind TP, TD and Manu, they are on the way out, time will tell if Kawhi grows into anything special, it will also be interesting to see which direction the Spurs go in the future.

Poor man's or rich man's, he doesn't have that type of game. We can start with saying who Pippen had with him... Pippen was considered a top 50 player with the people you mentioned, but was arguably the best player in the NBA the year after MJ left. Personally, I don't think this is relative to the "poor man's" part of your comment but I'm responding to it bc you brought it up in your last paragraph.

As for the style of play ("poor man's...") Pippen was a a pure scorer who created his own shot and a facilitator who ran the offense. Leonard is neither of these and I don't think will develop into either. It's not just about improving ball handling, which I think he'd have to do A LOT to even think about a comparison like this. He'd literally have to play like a PG at times, while being an aggressive #1 scoring option at other times. It's not just "he can shoot the 3" and "he's athletic" it's how he puts his skills together on the court, and it's not like Scottie Pippen did. Lebron plays like Pippen offensively. Do you think Leonard will be a poor man's Lebron?

On the other hand, Pippen wasn't the junk man that Leonard is. He hustles and is scrappy. That's similar to Artest, but again, his offensive game isn't similar to Artest. Pippen was a great rebounder, but he wasn't opportunistic in getting offensive boards off hustle like Leonard does. They just don't have the same style on either sides of the court.

The more I think about it, Marion is the best example. It's hard to wrap my head around bc Marion's offensive game is so unorthodox but getting past how Marion "looks" when he's scoring, he is where I can see Leonard going with his game.

[JasonWilliams55]

Re: Kawhi Leonard developing into a scoring Rodman?

Poor man's or rich man's, he doesn't have that type of game. We can start with saying who Pippen had with him... Pippen was considered a top 50 player with the people you mentioned, but was arguably the best player in the NBA the year after MJ left. Personally, I don't think this is relative to the "poor man's" part of your comment but I'm responding to it bc you brought it up in your last paragraph.

As for the style of play ("poor man's...") Pippen was a a pure scorer who created his own shot and a facilitator who ran the offense. Leonard is neither of these and I don't think will develop into either. It's not just about improving ball handling, which I think he'd have to do A LOT to even think about a comparison like this. He'd literally have to play like a PG at times, while being an aggressive #1 scoring option at other times. It's not just "he can shoot the 3" and "he's athletic" it's how he puts his skills together on the court, and it's not like Scottie Pippen did. Lebron plays like Pippen offensively. Do you think Leonard will be a poor man's Lebron?

On the other hand, Pippen wasn't the junk man that Leonard is. He hustles and is scrappy. That's similar to Artest, but again, his offensive game isn't similar to Artest. Pippen was a great rebounder, but he wasn't opportunistic in getting offensive boards off hustle like Leonard does. They just don't have the same style on either sides of the court.

The more I think about it, Marion is the best example. It's hard to wrap my head around bc Marion's offensive game is so unorthodox but getting past how Marion "looks" when he's scoring, he is where I can see Leonard going with his game.

I agree w/ parts, I'm just saying that I can see Kawhi growing into a player that is similar to the way Pip was. Right now Kawhi does not have the skillset Pip had on offense, but he is also not delegated to do that either (whether that matters is a separate discussion), as mentioned time will tell to see how he pans out, whether its the #1 or #2 option in SAS or where ever he might go in the future.

Pippen is obviously head, shoulders and probably some torso better than Kawhi, but in 5 years we might not be saying the same.

[DukeC]

Re: Kawhi Leonard developing into a scoring Rodman?

Marion: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Al5yhx_pGbU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Leonard: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SXemx5E9t20" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

This game right here is why I think Leonard has the potential to be a pretty dominant scorer when his mid range game is on point. His post fadeaway I could see being a go to move against smaller defenders like Marion's hook shot.

[J_Posse]

Re: Kawhi Leonard developing into a scoring Rodman?

Yeah, the people acting like comparing him to Marion is an insult or something is pretty silly. I'd say in his prime Marion was a top 20 player in the league.

I only say that Kawhi has a better offensive skillset than Marion and Wallace (at 21 years old) because he's shown flashes of scoring in a variety of ways. While, Crash and Marion never flashed the ability to score off the dribble (consistently) or from the perimeter. I believe Kawhi will be able to do both, while not possessing their elite level athleticism (Kawhi is slightly above average, IMO).

I believe he can develop into a top 20-50 player in the NBA, maybe even higher but that will take a lot of work.

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: Kawhi Leonard developing into a scoring Rodman?

Is it just me is there a theme of players being compared to other players of past generations ironically by the way they look?

Kawhi's face resembles Rodman's
Jeff Green resembles James Worthy

His Cornrows resemble Riley Freeman's.

[Decoym]

Re: Kawhi Leonard developing into a scoring Rodman?

As a Spurs fan, I am rather excited about Leonard's potential. Like some have said in here, I think his versatility, especially on defense, can translate to Metta World Peace (I'm talking prime Artest) or even Shawn Marion maybe minus shot blocking.