Durant stands by 2014 remark about Leonard being product of Spurs' system
It was back in 2014, right after the San Antonio Spurs had finished beating the Miami Heat to capture their fifth NBA championship, when Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant got involved in a Twitter debate over which player was better: Finals Most Valuable Player Kawhi Leonard or Paul George of the Indiana Pacers.
Durant ruffled a few feathers with his remarks, implying that Leonard wouldn't be the player he was if he weren't a Spur.
With San Antonio and Oklahoma City set to square off Saturday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena, the four-time scoring champion appears ready to change his tune, if ever so slightly.
"He's definitely grown as a player," Durant said following his team's win over the Utah Jazz on Thursday, according to ESPN's Royce Young. "He's not a system player," he added, unprompted.
"I know you guys like to throw that term around, but he's just grown so much as a player. I have to be locked in every play. He can shoot the midrange, he can post up, he can hit the 3, he can dribble, and he's just grown so much. Defensively, probably one of the best guys in the league. It's fun when you get that matchup at the small forward. There are so many great guys, but he's one of the guys in that top tier."
When asked if he regrets making his original critique, though, Durant was blunt in response.
"No, I don't," Durant said. "At the time, I didn't even call him a system player. I just said Paul George was better. I like Paul George better as a player. I can be a fan of the game, too. One of my guys was debating with me saying he was better than Paul George at the time, and I didn't think so.
"I'm not taking it back. I said the system is the reason why he's out there, Pop (Gregg Popovich) put him in great positions to be player that he is. No, I don't regret it at all. That was three years ago. If he hasn't grown, that's on him. But he's grown as a player, but yeah, I don't take it back."
Winning the Finals MVP award put a great deal of expectations on Leonard early in his career, with many wondering if he could carry over his success and build on it in the years to come. It's safe to say, two years after the fact, that Leonard is more than just a product of working under head coach Popovich.
He's established himself as one of the most prolific shooters in basketball, currently falling just short of the historic 50 (50.9 percent from the field), 40 (46.2 percent from 3-point range), 90 (88 percent from the charity stripe) mark. Leonard is also averaging a career-high 23.1 points as he takes on a larger role on offense in his fifth season with the franchise.