The Lakers, the 2014 Draft, and the Kawhi Leonard Experience

How far did Kawhi Leonard come?

Draftexpress did a great job providing statistics about Leonard in the draft. Remember, he had power forward skills in a small forward body.  He finished around the paint, rarely took jumpshots, and played defense with length and energy, not lateral quickness or outright speed.  His midrange shooting ranked 16th of 17th among small forwards in his draft; 0.7 points per possession.  His results from the combine don’t look so impressive.  His vertical leaping ability is sub-average at best. His lateral quickness?  Average, for a power forward.  At least he stole the ball well and had an assist-to-turnover ratio greater than 1:1, an indicator of good basketball IQ.  He had an excellent 3/4-court sprint time.  San Diego State loved to pressure the ball and get out in transition.  Leonard was a recipient of those finishes in transition.