NBA Summer School: Kawhi Leonard & Paul George

The offseason is the most valuable time of the year for many NBA players. The time between July and September is when NBA players can improve their game before the start of a new season.  Summertime is when players make a leap from solid to good or from good to great by putting in the necessary hard work. The summer was when Jordan sculpted his fadeaway and when Kobe met with Hakeem the Dream to add post moves and improve footwork.  This is a time that players will either waste or use for individual development.  Over the next few weeks, I'll evaluate some of the most promising under-25 players and look at areas for improvement both offensively and defensively.

Today, we'll look at two of the best small forwards in the league, Paul George (23) and Kawhi Leonard (22).

Offense

Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are major components to championship contenders and each came very close to raising the trophy last June. The following chart shows how they compared in a number of offensive categories this past 2012 - 2013 season.    

from Basketball-Reference.com

The Four Factors, or  "Four Factors of Basketball Success" are the four statistical categories that hoop analytics godfather, Dean Oliver, found that most contribute to NBA success.  Paul George shot at a league average clip of 49%, while Leonard shot an elite 56% eFG% in 2013 (in comparison, Kevin Durant also had an effective field goal percentage of  56% in 2013)*. 

Both players are solid rebounders for their position, and get to the free throw line at an average rate. George had a poor turnover rate while Leonard was better than average, but this can be partly attributed to their respective roles.  George had a bigger role on the Pacers this past season, in large part to Danny Granger's season long knee trouble.  George had to create offense for Indiana all season and quickly adjust to being option #1.  Meanwhile, Leonard was able to take advantage of his smaller role with the Spurs by focusing more on finishing and less on creating plays for his teammates.   

Paul George's offensive rating was right at league average (104), which was mainly due to his high turnover rate and average shooting numbers.  The Pacers should have more firepower this upcoming season with the return of Danny Granger and the signing of Luis Scola, and both will likely reduce the offensive burden on George.  Better shot selection (more on this below) from George and less ball handling responsibilities should greatly improve the Pacers offense this upcoming season.  

Leonard had an excellent offensive rating in 2013 due to his low usage and his elite shooting numbers.  The Spurs could benefit from giving Leonard a larger role in the offense and limiting the usage rate of the aging and less efficient players such as Manu Ginobli and Gary Neal (who is now on the Milwaukee Bucks).       

         

Shot Locations

from Hoopdata.com

The chart above shows the shooting stats by location for each player.  Both players finish at the rim very well due to their elite athleticism and improving skill.  They both shot at a league average clip from three, but George could benefit from limiting the number of long two's he attempts (especially from 16-23 feet, the least efficient area on the court).  Both players should increase the number of attempts in the paint and at the free throw line by using their elite quickness and leaping ability to put more pressure on the defense.  Lastly, increasing the number of three point attempts (especially from the corners, the most efficient area on the court) can help both players improve offensively this upcoming season.

Defense

What truly makes these two special is their defense.  Besides LeBron and Tony Allen, these may be the two best perimeter defenders in the league.  They each have great lateral quickness and active hands.  The following chart shows a few of their defensive statistics from last season.    

from Basketball-Reference.com

George and Leonard had almost identical steal rates due to their great anticipation of passing lanes.  What stands out from watching film of both players is how many deflections they rack up and how well they move laterally to stay with their defensive assignments.  Both areas are difficult to quantify with available stats, but the recent news of motion tracking SportVU cameras will soon change this.

Overall defensively, both players are stellar, with Leonard rating seven points below league average and George ranking even better at nine points stingier than average.  There aren't many areas of critique for either player other than to add muscle to their slight frames in order to bang with larger forwards such as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.  Both players have room to grow and if they do, should improve their team's chance at hoisting next years Larry O'Brien trophy.


*Effective field goal percentage takes a player's field goal percentage and gives proper weight to the fact that three's are more valuable than two's.