Kawhi Leonard Reportedly Pissed Kevin Durant Said He Was a System Player

Kawhi Leonard reportedly got upset after Kevin Durant implied in 2014 that he was a product of the San Antonio Spurs' system.

Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com said the following on an ESPN podcast (h/t Dan Feldman of NBC Sports):

"I was talking to somebody about that, somebody who knows Kawhi. And I'm just going to give it the qualifier here that, who really knows Kawhi? I mean, very few, I mean very, very few people. Certainly I'm not saying that this is some sort of insight that is dazzling. But, from what I understand, when Kawhi heard that quote, that he was a system player, that it really, really p---ed him off and that that's one of the things that you carry with him."

Leonard and the Spurs beat the Miami Heat in five games in the 2014 NBA Finals, with the now-Toronto Raptors forward winning the MVP trophy.

As Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer Travis Singleton (h/t Feldman) noted in 2016, Durant expanded upon those remarks two years later:

"He's definitely grown as a player. He's not a system player. I know you guys like to throw that word, that term, around. But he's just grown so much as a player, a guy that can – I have to be locked in every play. He can shoot the mid-range. He can post up. He can shot the 3. He can dribble. He's just grown so much as a player. Defensively, probably one of the best guys in the league. So, it's fun. It's fun when you get that matchup at the small forward. There's so many great guys, but he's one of the guys that’s in the top tier."

Durant further clarified his 2014 comments and said the Spurs system "is the reason he's out there. Pop put him in great positions to be the player that he is. So, I don't regret (the 2014 comments) at all."

This might be a case where both things can be true.

Yes, the Spurs system significantly helped Leonard's career. Head coach Gregg Popovich is one of the best leaders in American professional sports history, and the Spurs franchise has been a machine for 20 seasons despite a rotating supporting cast around a core three of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker for the majority of that time.

In other words, Leonard was put in an advantageous situation where he could thrive.

On the other hand, Leonard certainly deserves much credit for not only becoming an All-Star but developing into the best two-way player in the game not named LeBron James. The Spurs may have helped Leonard off to a good start, but Leonard has put in a tremendous amount of work, especially on the offensive end, where he's developed into his team's primary scorer.

Durant shouldn't come off as someone who was flippant about Leonard's value as a player, as there's merit to what he said.

At the same time, many athletes use fuel from different sources as motivation, so it's not a surprise that Leonard would be upset about them if that report is accurate. Of note, the GOAT, Michael Jordan, routinely used motivational tactics to help him become a legend.

Regardless of what was said in years past, a matchup between these two and their teams in the NBA Finals might be a best-case scenario.