RPG 343 / 8.9 per 36 462 / 10.9 per 36 255 / 7.6 per 36 BPG 93 / 2.4 per 36 275 / 6.5 per 36 38 / 1.1 per 36 Yes, Leonard is EXACTLY like Chandler and Eaton
That's my biggest beef with Leonard. He looks soooooooooo lost on the defensive end. I just don't want to bank on that being the biggest area he improves on this summer. I suspect he will try and work more on the pick and pop or roll. Mainly offensive work. I don't like that because I am such a fan of defense, especially from a big man.
It certainly would be great to add another big man, especially a veteran help defender, but I think the bodies are in place right now for 'improved inside defensive presence'. What is needed is knowledge and EFFORT.
Pretty interesting list, thank you so much for posting. A couple things that jump out to me are the low number of blocks for Leonard, but the highest field goal percentage and free throw percentage. I'm not against drafting a center, I'm in the camp of trade or BPA, but I'm not ready to give up on this kid.
Taking out Eaton (who just lived in the post), and adding points: points/36 TC: 7.3 ML: 7.6 Chandler added about a half a block per game at 36 min, but it should be noted that he was only good for 1+ his entire career. So, the extrapolation to 2.4 for him never materialized. I would call that pretty close. And, it wasn't until Chandler's 6th season that he cracked 10 reb/game. Given how raw they both were I think the numbers are relatively close.
okay I guess. He was measured 6'11 barefoot and 250+ lbs at his predraft (which is solid size for a 5) and a glance lets you know he's got a huge wingspan. As a kid he was the best distance swimmer in the world in his age bracket so you know he's got a tremendous motor. He's obviously extremely coordinated for a Big... don't all of these things fall under physical ability? again, Pop wasn't coaching him when he was dominating the ACC as a 17 year old. I can recall the comparisons to defensive greats Walton and Russell prior to the start of his professional career. He didn't really blossom his rookie year so much as continue doing what everyone suspected he'd do. Following both his Soph and Jr years Golden St and Phili were openly begging him to declare. I suspect if he had come out following his 2nd year at Wake, Rick Adelman would still be coaching by the Bay & receiving similar accolades for his defensive coaching prowess as Pop is now. STOMP
Is he as athletic as he used to be? No one is after that many years in the league He has lost a step. Yet SA is still really Good on D. My point is it is more than Just Duncan that makes them a good defensive team.
Here's another list: the rookie years of all players 6'11" or over who were 20 or younger, ranked by PER. (Leonard is 22nd, just above Spencer Hawes and Robin Lopez. Check out who's at 34...) I'm actually not a Leonard fan at all, so I'm not sure what I'm doing this for...
Very true. I would credit MG's coach for part of his progress as a center. Our current project center while showing a ton of talent, seems to have made progress like he doesn't have a coach. The project isn't advancing like it should.
Yeah, Meyers has a much better shooting percentage than Dirk did--even 3pt percent. All joking aside, I wonder what would happen if the team focused on Leonard's strengths rather than his weaknesses. If they really worked on him shooting from all angles and told him not to worry about defense. I don't think it would help the team, but I bet he could put up decent offensive numbers.
...down the road, over the bridge, through the trees, across 2 or 3 mountain ranges, and down a rabbit hole.
and my point is TD's defensive abilities are largely what makes Pop's schemes effective. He sure didn't look like he's lost much athleticism last night as he rolled to 20 Pnts, 14 Rbs, 4 Assts, 3 Blks & a W. For his career he's got a PER of 24.7... this season it was 24.4. On a straight stats analysis of the league in the past year I do for my fantasy league, I had him rated #11 overall and thats despite averaging fewer minutes per game (30.1) then anyone in the top 40. Older players who've avoided major joint injuries don't so much lose a step as they lose the ability to bounce back quickly from the nightly bumps/bruises and pounding of the game. Pretty clearly though, Tim is still elite STOMP
Yes Tim is an Elite basketball player. No doubt. But there is no way he is as athletic as he was 10-12 years ago. I watched him from court side seats in 1999 when he went up against Sabonis and I watched him up close this year against the Clippers and there is no way you can convince me he has not lost a step. Although he is still an excellent player. But this is what I can't get past, when I see SA play without Tim Duncan they still play excellent defense. I watched SA crush the Clippers in LA in February and Tim played 16 minutes. No matter who was playing center, Splitter or Diaw, the Spurs defensive scheme worked to perfection. This was not the same Boris Diaw I saw in Phoenix. So yes I agree that Tim Duncan is a special player and would have been with or without Pop, but having arguably the best coach/scheme in basketball over his career has certainly been a huge factor as well. I am not saying SA would have been as good without Tim (That would be stupid) but my overall point in my original post in this thread, was yes we need a center, but getting one is not going to automatically make us a better defensive team. Because allowing guard penetration the way we have, will only get our new center a ton fouls and a quick trip to the bench. Our D starts from the coaches, then the guards/wings, then the guy guarding the rim. We need a lot of work to be a good defensive team. Not just a center.
