I watched him play a bit for SDSU. He's a very hard worker. He has the potential to turn into another Gerald Wallace type player, IMO.
Agree with the others. He is a nice player, but is a career roleplayer as a defender. He is not worthy of a lottery pick. He's the next Bruce Bowen, Raja Bell, or Ariza. Guys that are usually drafted late in the 1st round or in the 2nd round. Respective draft positions for reference. Bowen - undrafted Raja Bell - undrafted Ariza - 43rd
He’s going to be a better all-around player than Bruce Bowen, I agree with the Gerald Wallace comparison. Bowen just kinda hung around the 3 point line, whereas Leonard is very active -- great at cutting to the basket and taking it to the rack. He’s also a great rebounder for his position, something Bowen was rather pathetic at. Kawhi wasn’t a lotto pick, by the way, but he was very good value for a 15th pick.
Really? I say Parsons. Anyway, CH asked the wrong question, would you rather have Leonard or MM? If we didn't grab Morris I think Leonard would have been the pick at 14th, and there's a high chance the Spurs would have picked him at 15th. I'm still waiting on MM, but right now a rotation of Leonard/Parsons/C-bud sounds pretty sweet.
Let's see how much he improves. Right now he is Stacy Augmon. If he can develop an offensive game he can be a very good player. I suspect he becomes a more athletic but less disciplined Battier.. Decent for pick #15.
NOT TRUE. They don't all turn into stars, but most of them become solid contributors and have decent careers.
I think the influence a team has on a player isnt given enough consideration....when was the last time SA really bombed in the draft? Or how often? I think they have great coaches and leaders on the floor who know how to motivate younger players. That means Leonard may not have done as well else where.
Pretty sure jopatmc is aware of this and his comment was in response to all those who wanted us to draft Kawhi with our 14th pick.
That's right. Before the draft there were rumors of Kawhi going as high as the fifth pick. He actually "fell" to 15, which is probably a little high for where he should have gone. The kid is a great athlete with lots of hustle and huge hands. His hands are so big he can't shoot and never will be able to shoot worth a flip. You can just tell he's not going to be any kind of offensive threat. Just a Rodman style clean up the glass offensive player and lots of hustle and hard working on the defensive end. 15 is about as high as he should have gone, provided he maximizes his career and his career isn't cut short by injuries and the rest of the draft is weak.
I don't think people understand how good Parsons is defensively. Give him another year and he may be worth a top 10 pick. Parsons is already light years above Leonard, or any rookie, in terms of positioning and defensive rotations. Battier was in the "right" position 92% of the time and by comparison, Parsons is "right" 91%. This is amazing for a rookie. Not only is he at the right place, he contests shots, gets steals and blocks as well. On the offensive end, he can pass and cut like a seasoned vet. The only thing that is holding him back is the lack of confidence in attacking the basket and shooting. If he works on this in the summer, it is reasonable to see him averaging 14 pts, 7 rebs, 4 assists, 1.5 stls, and a blk a game. That's a top 10 pick right there.
It just goes to show you that you don't have to draft 15th to get a defensive specialist. Morey got Parsons in the 2nd round. Parsons may not be as athletic, but he is a good defender, rebounder, and excellent at putbacks. Javale McGee would agree.
