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The development of Kawhi Leonard into a legitimate superstar in the NBA has been something to marvel at. The LA Clippers forward was already a stout defender, but he vastly improved his scoring with the Toronto Raptors and has now shown that he can be a legitimate playmaker with Doc Rivers' team.
When he first arrived in San Antonio, no one knew he would turn into the player that he is today. Even Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said it was impossible to see him developing into the offensive player we've seen pick apart defenses over the last couple of seasons.
“When we we made that trade for him and drafted him, we didn’t know he was gonna be Kawhi Leonard just like we didn’t know Manu [Ginobili] was gonna be Manu when we drafted him at whatever, 57 or something like that,” Popovich said. “People who tell you that are full of crap.”
“You never know how a player is gonna develop. Whether he’s drafted fourth or 19th, you just don’t know.”
Gregg Popovich on Kawhi Leonard – “There wasn’t 1 moment where it was like ‘wow!’ When we traded for/drafted him, we didn’t know he was gonna be Kawhi Leonard just like we didn’t know Manu was gonna be Manu. People who tell you that are full of crap.”#Clippers #Spurs pic.twitter.com/osQr7ZhWGx
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) November 1, 2019
This season, Leonard averaged career-highs in points (27.1), assists (4.9), and free throw percentage (88.6 percent) under head coach Doc Rivers. Leonard has continued to impress the Clippers coaching staff all year, but his methodical style of play has gone to another level with the playoffs in full swing.
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“‘Surgical,' is a good word,” Doc Rivers said. “‘Robotic' is not a good word. He has a system to what he's doing. He has a belief in what he's doing. He sticks to it. I mean, his ability to work and get what he needs to get in and know when he's there is amazing. It's rare that you find a guy that just knows his game and knows what he needs to work on.
“It's awesome some nights when you see him shooting. I think you can tell he's way over his number, but in his mind he's not to the comfort level that he needs to be in. When you watch guys through their career shoot and they're having a tough night and they stop, he's not going to. It just tells you about who he is.”
Doc Rivers on Kawhi Leonard's method – "Surgical is a good word. Robotic is not a good word. He has a system to what he's doing. He has a belief in what he's doing and he sticks to it… It's rare that you find a guy that knows his game and knows what he needs to work on." pic.twitter.com/0t9jPoARsj
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) September 10, 2020
Leonard has led his Clippers to a 3-1 lead over the Denver Nuggets with a chance to close the series out on Friday night. With the win, LA would advance to its first ever Conference Finals appearance in franchise history, where they'll take on the winner of the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets series.
