Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego admitted that ‘no one' foresaw Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers turning into a dominant player back when he was with the San Antonio Spurs.
Per Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer, Borrego recalled his days as an assistant under Gregg Popovich with the Spurs. Back then, Leonard was considered the team's best defender and on the offensive end, he was just second fiddle to the Spurs' Hall of Fame trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili.
Hornets coach James Borrego, who was an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs when Kawhi Leonard was there, said "no one" foresaw Leonard being this dominant an all-around NBA player.
— Rick Bonnell (@rick_bonnell) October 29, 2019
But as the years progressed, when the trio reached their eventual decline, Leonard stepped his game up and turned into one of the most promising young stars of the league. He bumped his point averages to 20 per game while maintaining his elite defensive stance. In turn, Popovich and the coaching staff turned Leonard into the focal point of the team on both ends of the floor.
As most NBA fans know, Leonard's stint with the Spurs was cut short due to some controversies. However, this did not stop his continuous rise to stardom. His title win with the Toronto Raptors rightfully etched his name in history as one of the best of his generation. His move to the Clippers is a clear indication that he's hungry for more.
Just like the greats that have come before him, Leonard carries a similar mindset: win as many titles as possible. And in the Clippers' first few games of the 2019-20 season, they look like a team that's locked and loaded.
It's no accident that this occurred with Leonard now on the team.
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