One of those games he had the flu.
Kawhi Leonard is moving up on the Big Board!!
- Thread starter Basketball_Romantic23
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One of those games he had the flu.
billyshelby
Well-Known Member
What about the other 69 games when he shot 25% from 3 on a 160 tries?
He shot 29%
Darkwing Duck
Well-Known Member
Turning from a bad shooter into a good shooter can take only a couple of months. A small fix can be all it takes. Feet positioning, release point, elbow mechanics, etc. Wouldn't be surprised if he found a shooting coach that fixed him.
Never really watched Leonard, so I don't know what his shooting stroke was like in college, and obviously I haven't seen the workouts, so there's no comparison, but if he continues to shoot well up to the draft, he'll definitely be picked in the top 8.
billyshelby
Well-Known Member
His total stats are 25 percent. He shot 29 percent last year. He's shot 21% in 78 tries, and 29% in 86 tries. That's a lot of tries and a lot of missing.
billyshelby
Well-Known Member
I'm not saying he can't improve. I'm saying I wouldn't draft him expecting he will. I'd draft him 6 because I was really sure he'd turn into Wallace. I'd draft him 12 because I was really sure he'd turn into Wilson Chandler. But I probably wouldn't take either of those risks. I might trade down and draft him, but if someone wants to love him at 6, 8, or 12, I'd let them love him.
Also, he has mammoth hands. He is also a really nice, low key kind of dude, which I personally like and think fits in with the Jazz.
But mainly, I just think he has that overall "it" factor.
Darkwing Duck
Well-Known Member
So you don't want the Jazz to draft anyone with the "potential" tag and only draft the sure thing?
Nah, Ronnie Brewer doesn't have anywhere near the rebounding or ball handling skills that Leonard does. Also, Leonard's arm isn't permanently jacked up.
You know in both of the three against BYU games he had 22 points with 15 rebounds, 17 points with 13 rebounds and 20 points with 8 rebounds. He also spent significant time guarding Jimmer.
Best Case he is Shawn Marion with a better handle and shot.
vslice02
Well-Known Member
I'd say best-case Wallace, worst-case Joe Alexander. I think he's ALOT closer to Wallace, and like Wallace Leonard needs to work on his perimeter game, but don't forget it took Gerald until his 4th season before he saw consistent minutes and 5th year before he started turning in bigtime production. Even though they lost him in the expansion draft, the Sacramento Kings got virtually nothing out of Wallace for 3 years. I could see a similar development with Leonard.
No way he is going to be a bust like Joe Alexander. He will at the very least be a serviceable role player.
Mr. McGibblets
Well-Known Member
Hayward also shot 29% from 3 his last year of college. I would not rule out drafting a guy merely due to his shooting percentage in college, but it is a negative. If he really has an incredible work ethic and a decent stroke then I think there's room for improvement. Hayward had a huge drop off during his second year shooting wise, whereas Leonard improved his second year compared to the first. I realize not everyone will have a huge jump in the pros, but the rest of Leonard makes him an intriguing pick. I'd definitely like him more at 12 than 6, but we will see.
I also like what Qman said about his stats against BYU - he played pretty well and defended Jimmer a lot of the game. Saying he didn't do much during those games is a bit bewildering and makes me question your judgment.
billyshelby
Well-Known Member
I'm all for drafting potential. But I like my potential to come with the youngest age and the least concrete negative data. So I don't want to draft a guy with two years of data saying he can't shoot hoping he has potential to shoot. But I'll roll the dice on a guy who hasn't proved one way or another he can shoot. That's at least a neutral qualifier, not something I have to talk myself into against logic.
billyshelby
Well-Known Member
Terrible example. Hayward shot 45% his freshmen year and then 30% his sophomore year. That's a fantastic season and a crappy season. 20 and 29 over 2 years is two crappy seasons.
billyshelby
Well-Known Member
Leonard is easy to like when you read about him. Athletic, right attitude, known for defense, plays hard. He seems like a lock as a rotation player and that's not nothing. But without an ability to shoot, his ceiling seems kind of low. I just don't think you draft a guy like that at 6.
prodigy
Well-Known Member
^ not to mention Hayward was a much better free throw shooter, the sign of a good shooter.
and draining 3's in practice when no one is guarding you is obviously different from draining 3's in game action.
the guy hasn't shown any ablity to do it in college, you really expect him to be a good shooter in the pro's? unless you want to compare his #'s to CJ miles.
his game isn't polished but he does have potential, consider him at #12..hell nah at #6.
and draining 3's in practice when no one is guarding you is obviously different from draining 3's in game action.
the guy hasn't shown any ablity to do it in college, you really expect him to be a good shooter in the pro's? unless you want to compare his #'s to CJ miles.
his game isn't polished but he does have potential, consider him at #12..hell nah at #6.