http://grantland.com/the-triangle/nba-playoffs-overnight-kawhi-leonard-spurs-thunder/
Written on May 20, 2014.
Written on May 20, 2014.
He would smother people on defense. He would knock down open 3s and never take any other kind of shot from the perimeter. He’d have a midrange game, too. He’d be quick enough to get to the rim whenever he wants — sometimes using the insane Tony Parker spin move that renders everyone helpless — and strong enough to score against anyone when he gets there.
He would be rangy enough to play two or three positions if you needed. He would be disciplined and never force anything. He would have octopus arms and catcher’s mitt hands and giant gnarled feet. He would show absolutely no emotion at any point, ever, and have no discernible personality. Personality is for comedians and car salesmen. Personality doesn’t win basketball games.
He would be 6-foot-7 or 6-foot-8, the default height for any random NBA player. He would have cornrows, another default option in the system. He would have “played college basketball” somewhere like San Diego State; just recognizable enough to sound believable to outsiders, but just random enough to explain why nobody really remembers him.
Then one day you would look up and see him dominating the NBA playoffs. Crashing the boards and finishing down low like Tim Duncan; playing the passing lanes like Parker, and then screaming down fast breaks for layups; nailing a few of those jumpers that Manu Ginobili used to hit. All the while, playing the kind of relentless defense that won the Spurs four titles, never showing a hint of fatigue. A little bit of everything, but never enough to attract too much attention.
Then you would understand: He’s the perfect Spur. Twenty years of field research finally realized. That’s when it would all make sense.
Kawhi Leonard is a basketball drone who was invented in a laboratory by Gregg Popovich. You will never convince me otherwise.