Tim Duncan Comments on Kawhi Leonard's Lack of Star Treatment from Referees
Over the past two years, San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard has risen to stardom after winning the 2014 NBA Finals MVP, Defensive Player of the Year twice and garnering an All-Star selection in 2016.
But his future Hall of Fame teammate Tim Duncan doesn't think officials have given Leonard the respect he deserves.
"He’s gotten to the point now where people are being a lot more physical with him, but people are still being allowed to get away with a whole lot of stuff,” Duncan told Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News on Wednesday. “That gets him fired up, and rightfully so. ... He’s trying to earn the respect of opponents, officials and everything else."
Leonard has put up the finest regular season of his five-year career with 21.2 points per game and a defensive win shares mark of 5.5, which trailed only the Atlanta Hawks' Paul Millsap (6.0), per Basketball-Reference.com.
He also attempted 334 free throws, which ranked 30th among all players in the league, lower than many superstars.
As Leonard has emerged as one of the top players in the NBA, he hasn't been known to convey much emotion on or off the court.
Duncan said he hasn't gotten a lot out of him: "I don’t think [a conversation] ever surpassed 10 or 15 seconds. ... He hasn’t said a whole lot since he’s been here. But he’s gone out there and put it on the floor and put up the numbers and helped us win games. When you do it like that, you earn people’s respect."
There's no chest-thumping or yelling while Leonard's on the court, as his stifling defense has done the talking.
Yet he has shown some displeasure with officiating, most recently during Game 3 of the Spurs' Western Conference first-round matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, per McDonald:
The lack of calls doesn't seem to do much to unnerve the 24-year-old, given his regular-season stats. In the playoffs, he has maintained his level of play by averaging 21.5 points per game with 11 blocks during the four-game sweep of the Grizzlies.
The officials' oversight of Leonard is something to watch as the playoffs progress after Duncan's comments. Games will become more physical and intense, and Leonard will continue to play his way into high-contact situations.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
