MadDog
09-19-2021, 07:06 PM
Interesting piece. I don't think his word is gospel or anything, but I like how detailed and specific he got. I'd take KD as a scorer personally, but I get where Smart is coming from. Kawhi's a big body and can back you down - the bit about midrange was also on point.
In these last few years, he’s developed his all-around game even more. Somehow, he keeps getting better.
Trying to guard Kawhi on an island by yourself is tough. You gotta take the basket away and push him to your help. You want him to take a contested shot as far away from the basket as possible, because his mid-range game is phenomenal. He brought back the 15-footer, no doubt. That’s a lost art in this game, especially in the age of analytics. Everything on paper says the 15-footer is a bad shot. But for Kawhi, it’s money. And he’ll kill you with it if you let him. So all you can really do is get him shooting from distance and contesting it.
But he can still shoot at a high clip from range, so it’s like … what do you do?
I’ll tell you this much: One thing you can’t do against him is take a play off. Because he’ll sniff that out and flip a switch. If you’re playing lazy defense — or if his team is behind, or if it’s late in the game, or if his team needs somebody to make a play — he’ll turn it on. And when he really gets going, can’t nobody stop him.
I would definitely say he’s the most unstoppable player in the league right now. The way he can score the ball at his size — he can take you off the dribble, post you up, shoot the mid-range or shoot the three — it’s wild.
Kawhi is just … different. He’s out of this world.”
https://thesportsrush.com/nba-news-kawhi-leonard-has-developed-an-all-round-game-and-keeps-getting-better-marcus-smart-elucidates-what-makes-the-clippers-star-out-of-this-world/
https://www.si.com/nba/clippers/news/marcus-smart-calls-kawhi-leonard-the-most-unstoppable-player-in-the-league
In these last few years, he’s developed his all-around game even more. Somehow, he keeps getting better.
Trying to guard Kawhi on an island by yourself is tough. You gotta take the basket away and push him to your help. You want him to take a contested shot as far away from the basket as possible, because his mid-range game is phenomenal. He brought back the 15-footer, no doubt. That’s a lost art in this game, especially in the age of analytics. Everything on paper says the 15-footer is a bad shot. But for Kawhi, it’s money. And he’ll kill you with it if you let him. So all you can really do is get him shooting from distance and contesting it.
But he can still shoot at a high clip from range, so it’s like … what do you do?
I’ll tell you this much: One thing you can’t do against him is take a play off. Because he’ll sniff that out and flip a switch. If you’re playing lazy defense — or if his team is behind, or if it’s late in the game, or if his team needs somebody to make a play — he’ll turn it on. And when he really gets going, can’t nobody stop him.
I would definitely say he’s the most unstoppable player in the league right now. The way he can score the ball at his size — he can take you off the dribble, post you up, shoot the mid-range or shoot the three — it’s wild.
Kawhi is just … different. He’s out of this world.”
https://thesportsrush.com/nba-news-kawhi-leonard-has-developed-an-all-round-game-and-keeps-getting-better-marcus-smart-elucidates-what-makes-the-clippers-star-out-of-this-world/
https://www.si.com/nba/clippers/news/marcus-smart-calls-kawhi-leonard-the-most-unstoppable-player-in-the-league