Popovich on Kawhi Leonard

[PHILA]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/spurs/2015/11/11/kawhi-leonard-gregg-popovich-spurs-charles-barkley-michael-jordan/75612616/


In an effort to help Kawhi Leonard become better as teams focus their defensive efforts against him, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich gave his star forward a CD with clips of Hall of Famer Charles Barkley handling and beating double teams.

“At this point, he’s just trying to figure out what to do when people come after him,” Popovich said. “He’s getting double teamed now, and that’s a whole different basketball game.”

Some of the best offensive players in double teams would “get you in a situation where they knew where they were going to go with the pass. Right now, he’s dealing with that,” Popovich explained. “Do I try to score? When am I in a crowd? When am I not in a crowd? When do I let it go? All those decisions. That’s really the part of his game he’s working on the most.”

“I always wanted to be a great player coming into the NBA,” Leonard said. “First coming in, I wanted to be on a team that was a winning team and help me learn how to win in this league. I gradually wanted to become a go-to guy. It’s all played out and worked out well for me.”

When told Popovich put together a CD of his decision-making, Barkley was honored. “For Gregg Popovich to give a tape of me to Kawhi Leonard, that’s just awesome. It really is,” Barkley said. “I really appreciate that compliment.”

Not only does Barkley offer a visual education in beating double teams, he gave a spoken lesson. Barkley had to learn to beat double teams early in his career with the Philadelphia 76ers.

“The way you handle double teams is you can’t fight them,” Barkley said. “That’s part of making your team better because it comes down to simple common sense. Do I try to score on two guys or do I pass the ball to an open teammate? There are guys who try to fight the double team and only two things can happen and they’re both bad. You can either take a bad shot and miss or you can turn the ball over.”


Barkley offered more tips:

• Don’t pass the ball before the double team arrives.

• Don’t give up the dribble until you know where to pass the ball.

• Know from where the double team is coming.


“You have to have confidence in yourself that you’re going to make the right pass,” Barkley said.

Leonard is working on reading the defense, finding his shots within the offense and handling those double teams. His offense is improving as he tries to maintain the same defensive presence that made him the 2014-15 defensive player of the year.

“His goal will be to sustain it and not to just morph into an offensive player and forget that he’s a defender. That’s what we want him to do first of all more than anything. Defend and rebound,” Popovich said. “So far, he keeps that as his priority. That fuels his offense a little bit.”

“It’s about how good of a player you want to be. He has the ability to do what a Michael Jordan did at both ends, and I don’t mean he’s Michael Jordan,” Popovich said. “But you think about the best players in the league, they’re not two-way players. He wants to do that.”

[SugarHill]

But you think about the best players in the league, they’re not two-way players. He wants to do that

this was more interesting. pop saying they're just a bunch of scorers with little less

[ClipperRevival]

Nothing harder to do than to be "the man" on a team, face the double every night and still dominate. That's why the gap between MJ and Pippen was immense. Let's see how far Leonard can take his game.

[RoseCity07]

What does he mean about the best players in the league NOT being two way players? Is he talking about Lebron and Curry? They are two way players.

[Spurs m8]

Really puts ******* like no defence Melo into perspective.

[Giaodollo]

What does he mean about the best players in the league NOT being two way players? Is he talking about Lebron and Curry? They are two way players.

LeBron, Curry, Durant... Wouldn't really put them in the elite category, LeBron is good but does he do it on a nightly basis? Even Davis, who certainly has good defensive stats, but is he really an elite defender?

I think we can certainly put Kahwi in the elite defensive category.

Check Jimmy Butler two years ago and then again last season, we saw him go from an elite defender to a good offensive player and a terrible defender. It is hard to play 100% on both sides, especially as a wing, that makes Kahwi special in my eyes.

[LONGTIME]

LeBron, Curry, Durant... Wouldn't really put them in the elite category, LeBron is good but does he do it on a nightly basis? Even Davis, who certainly has good defensive stats, but is he really an elite defender?

I think we can certainly put Kahwi in the elite defensive category.

Check Jimmy Butler two years ago and then again last season, we saw him go from an elite defender to a good offensive player and a terrible defender. It is hard to play 100% on both sides, especially as a wing, that makes Kahwi special in my eyes.

:coleman:

[STATUTORY]

this was more interesting. pop saying they're just a bunch of scorers with little less


shots fired at Lebron, Pop already playing mind games in preparation for the finals :applause:

[ClipperRevival]

This is why MJ gets underrated to some extent because he gave you GOAT level play on both ends. His energy and stamina was also unmatched and a huge part of his success.

[STATUTORY]

This is why MJ gets underrated to some extent because he gave you GOAT level play on both ends. His energy and stamina was also unmatched and a huge part of his success.

Kobe before achilles tear was the same, n99a had Rondo on the verge of tears in the finals

[LONGTIME]

This is why MJ gets underrated to some extent because he gave you GOAT level play on both ends. His energy and stamina was also unmatched and a huge part of his success.

:oldlol: :roll:

[ClipperRevival]

Kobe before achilles tear was the same, n99a had Rondo on the verge of tears in the finals

No. Kobe didn't have MJ's constant motor and stamina. Kobe had to pick his spots on when to expend energy on the D end while MJ's motor was much more consistent on the D end. And Kobe's D dropped off starting the 2009-10 season. Not to mention, he had the luxury of playing with Shaq up until 2004 where defenses didn't square in on him. MJ was a force from the get go and attracted the attention of the D until he retired with the Bulls in 1998. No wing player had to carry such a huge burden for such an extended period of time and still dominate . Wade in 2006 finals but that's a small sample size.

[huskerdu]

Curry and Durant aren't even close to two way players :oldlol: :oldlol: :oldlol:


Kawhi is the second best two player in the league after Lebron.

People were crying about ESPN putting Kawhi at #7 in their best players list but now it looks like they may have even underrated him.

[90sgoat]

LeBron, Curry, Durant... Wouldn't really put them in the elite category, LeBron is good but does he do it on a nightly basis? Even Davis, who certainly has good defensive stats, but is he really an elite defender?

I think we can certainly put Kahwi in the elite defensive category.

Check Jimmy Butler two years ago and then again last season, we saw him go from an elite defender to a good offensive player and a terrible defender. It is hard to play 100% on both sides, especially as a wing, that makes Kahwi special in my eyes.

Yep.

Lebron can be an elite defender, but it is several seasons since he was able to do it consistently. Even in 2012 where he tried for DPOY I thought he was past his defensive prime. Lebron now coasts on defense most of the game and rarely defends the best player on the opposite team.

Great article too, this is why for the non-homer fans, how can you not love the San Antiono Spurs? Such a great team, coach and players with real character. I am now definititely repping the Spurs after a couple seasons liking Bulls, OKC, Spurs, Memphis.

Spurs 2015 is the clear cut casual old school fan team.

Kawhi needs to start passing though, 1 assist is simply embarassing.

[ClipperRevival]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to disrespect Kobe. He's one of the best two way players ever but he just wasn't as impactful as MJ on both ends of the court. There are levels to greatness/impact on both ends.

[Milbuck]

LeBron, Curry, Durant... Wouldn't really put them in the elite category, LeBron is good but does he do it on a nightly basis? Even Davis, who certainly has good defensive stats, but is he really an elite defender?

I think we can certainly put Kahwi in the elite defensive category.

Check Jimmy Butler two years ago and then again last season, we saw him go from an elite defender to a good offensive player and a terrible defender. It is hard to play 100% on both sides, especially as a wing, that makes Kahwi special in my eyes.
Not at all. He wasn't the same beast he was before his offensive breakout but he was still really good, and when called upon could be the same lockdown defender. Terrible defenders are guys like Nash, Harden, etc.

[aj1987]

Yep.

Lebron can be an elite defender, but it is several seasons since he was able to do it consistently. Even in 2012 where he tried for DPOY I thought he was past his defensive prime. Lebron now coasts on defense most of the game and rarely defends the best player on the opposite team.

Great article too, this is why for the non-homer fans, how can you not love the San Antiono Spurs? Such a great team, coach and players with real character. I am now definititely repping the Spurs after a couple seasons liking Bulls, OKC, Spurs, Memphis.

Spurs 2015 is the clear cut casual old school fan team.

Kawhi needs to start passing though, 1 assist is simply embarassing.
I think he was still pretty decent in '13. He definitely was good in the PO's though. '12 was probably his best and Wade's 2nd best seasons defensively. Actually, Wade's 4th best season defensively. '09, '05, '10, and '12 in that order. Dude was a beast defensively and made Miami's swarming defense work.

Kawhi is there defensively, but his offense is not at an elite level yet. I feel like he's more a system player and needs a good offense to get his points. I've seen only one Spurs game this year though, so I might be wrong.

[90sgoat]

I think he was still pretty decent in '13. He definitely was good in the PO's though. '12 was probably his best and Wade's 2nd best seasons defensively. Actually, Wade's 4th best season defensively. '09, '05, '10, and '12 in that order. Dude was a beast defensively and made Miami's swarming defense work.

Kawhi is there defensively, but his offense is not at an elite level yet. I feel like he's more a system player and needs a good offense to get his points. I've seen only one Spurs game this year though, so I might be wrong.

You should watch more Spurs, Kawhi is much better now, still has weaknesses, but has one of the best mid range games in the league. I don't think he could go out and get 30 points if asked every time, but he will be a consistent 20ppg on great efficiency every game.

As for Bran it depends on his teammates, on Heat they all played that great swarming defense where he could fill in passing lanes for steals or him and Wade running down fastbreaks. The Cavs Bron simply isn't even trying in the regular season at least, but he clearly can and opponents should plan for it so they don't get D-Rosed in the playoffs.

[I<3NBA]

Lebron playing in a swarming defense could only work if the Cavs have a guy like Battier and a PG like Wade.

[Giaodollo]

Not at all. He wasn't the same beast he was before his offensive breakout but he was still really good, and when called upon could be the same lockdown defender. Terrible defenders are guys like Nash, Harden, etc.

But that's the thing, "when called upon". Not always and when he would put in a maximum effort on defense his offense would take major hit. That's the thing with most players.

We have seen Kahwi this year playing amazing D against superstars and then go up on offense and put up all-star numbers. Which is amazing.

[Anaximandro1]

Kawhi is there defensively, but his offense is not at an elite level yet. I feel like he's more a system player and needs a good offense to get his points. I've seen only one Spurs game this year though, so I might be wrong.
Kawhi is a good ISO scorer, but he needs to improve his passing ability.

[plowking]

This is why MJ gets underrated to some extent because he gave you GOAT level play on both ends. His energy and stamina was also unmatched and a huge part of his success.

:roll:

Bullshit. MJ didn't give full defensive effort either.
People act like we don't have access to tape and footage of games. :oldlol:

Jordan was slacking as much as Kobe and Bron. Only difference is, he was even more of a media darling, and not to mention, unlike Bron, and Kobe for certain chunks in his career, MJ was never the primary defender of the best player on the other team.

[ProfessorMurder]

Kobe before achilles tear was the same, n99a had Rondo on the verge of tears in the finals
The f*ck are you babbling about?

[Milbuck]

But that's the thing, "when called upon". Not always and when he would put in a maximum effort on defense his offense would take major hit. That's the thing with most players.

We have seen Kahwi this year playing amazing D against superstars and then go up on offense and put up all-star numbers. Which is amazing.
He was still really good though, you said his defense was terrible. He might not have put in maximum effort consistently but he was still a very good defender, just not a one man wrecking crew like years prior. It's not like he was OKC to Houston Harden where his defense fell off the face of the earth.

Also Butler was fantastic defensively in the playoffs, absolutely wrecked the Bucks on both ends of the floor, and against Cleveland played his usual terrific defense on Lebron (holding him to 46% TS). All while putting up all-star offensive numbers.

Kawhi is awesome right now but Butler is still very much a two-way player.

[Spurs m8]

The f*ck are you babbling about?

:roll: :roll: :roll:

[sportjames23]

This is why MJ gets underrated to some extent because he gave you GOAT level play on both ends. His energy and stamina was also unmatched and a huge part of his success.


GOAT stayed GOATing. :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:

[sportjames23]

No. Kobe didn't have MJ's constant motor and stamina. Kobe had to pick his spots on when to expend energy on the D end while MJ's motor was much more consistent on the D end. And Kobe's D dropped off starting the 2009-10 season. Not to mention, he had the luxury of playing with Shaq up until 2004 where defenses didn't square in on him. MJ was a force from the get go and attracted the attention of the D until he retired with the Bulls in 1998. No wing player had to carry such a huge burden for such an extended period of time and still dominate . Wade in 2006 finals but that's a small sample size.


:cheers:

[3ball]

a lot of misinformation itt

[3ball]

:roll:

Bullshit. MJ didn't give full defensive effort either.
People act like we don't have access to tape and footage of games. :oldlol:

Jordan was slacking as much as Kobe and Bron. Only difference is, he was even more of a media darling, and not to mention, unlike Bron, and Kobe for certain chunks in his career, MJ was never the primary defender of the best player on the other team.
^^^ a pure troll - how about Drexler, Magic, Payton, Isiah Thomas, Reggie Miller... almost everyone.

[3ball]

you guys realize that Pop just said MJ was a better defender than DPOY Kawhi currently is?

[3ball]

“It’s about how good of a player you want to be. He has the ability to do what a Michael Jordan did at both ends, and I don’t mean he’s Michael Jordan,” Popovich said. “But you think about the best players in the league, they’re not two-way players. He wants to do that.”
So Pop thinks MJ was a better defender than DPOY Kawhi currently is... :pimp:

My fantasies of MJ destroying Lebron much worse than Kawhi did just got clearer and valid, per Pop's advisement.





Barkley offered more tips:

• Don’t pass the ball before the double team arrives.

• Don’t give up the dribble until you know where to pass the ball.

• Know from where the double team is coming.


Similar to Barkley, MJ was often double-teamed on literally every possession.. Here's a video of MJ against Atlanta - he's double-teamed 12 of 13 possessions from the 6:40 mark to the 8:40 mark - the consecutive double-teams are shown in rapid succession:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLDGm8pV6uU&t=6m40s



During the Bulls-Pistons series, the Pistons' 4th quarter policy was to double-team MJ every single time he touched the ball.. Here's an examle from Game 6 of 1989 ECF, starting at the 9 minute mark (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4W_0I82B18&t=1h21m11s) - MJ is double-teamed 10 of 13 times he touched the ball to finish out the game.. The 3 times he didn't get doubled were because he shot the ball immediately - here's all 10 double-teams shown in gifs:


http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showpost.php?p=11703590&postcount=88



The youtube channel "Nobody Touches Jordan" did a video of Payton guarding MJ in Game 4 of 1996 Finals (link here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgFWyLRNsGk)) - MJ was doubled exactly 10 of the 20 times he caught the ball with Payton guarding - all 10 double-teams are shown if gifs here:


http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showpost.php?p=11792377&postcount=161



Here's the New York Times on Jordan, 1987:


"Last season, Jordan had to overcome the harrassment of zone traps and double-triple teaming to average 37.1 points a game."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s9_GKFNL9E&t=0m49s



Even on the post, MJ was double-teamed equally - here's a Shaq post video that shows him being doubled 33 of 62 times he caught the ball on the post (53%) compared to 52 of 103 in the MJ post video (50%).


SHAQ'S POST MOVES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVxZs7dwCO8
MJ'S POST MOVES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfSftZvpHJg


However, MJ got doubled all over the court, not just on the post - MJ's danger from anywhere on the court resulted in teams often doubling him 10+ possessions in a row, as various videos in the OP showed.. This type of every-possession double teams for 10 consecutive possessions never happened for Shaq, not even in the 2000 Finals.



By comparison, Lebron was doubled-teamed a TOTAL of 18 times in the entire Finals... So in comparison to MJ getting double-teamed 12 times in a single quarter, Lebron was doubled 3 times per game.


"Curry’s ability to guard one-on-one allowed the Warriors’ wing defenders to double-team LeBron James effectively. When James was double-teamed, the Cavaliers scored 5 points on 2-of-18 shooting (11 percent)".

http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/106718/iguodala-heads-all-playoff-defensive-team
.

[ClipperRevival]

:roll:

Bullshit. MJ didn't give full defensive effort either.
People act like we don't have access to tape and footage of games. :oldlol:

Jordan was slacking as much as Kobe and Bron. Only difference is, he was even more of a media darling, and not to mention, unlike Bron, and Kobe for certain chunks in his career, MJ was never the primary defender of the best player on the other team.

MJ had legendary stamina and energy and his effort on D was much more consistent.

[STATUTORY]

MJ had legendary stamina and energy and his effort on D was much more consistent.

are you still talking about basketball?

[riseagainst]

are you still talking about basketball?


:lol