The small tweak that helped Kawhi Leonard become an elite shooter

It’s hard to believe there was a time when Kawhi Leonard’s jump shot was seen as his biggest weakness. But that’s the situation he found himself in following his sophomore season at San Diego State. Not only did Leonard make a total of 41 3-pointers during his two years in college, he struggled to knock down catch-and-shoot jumpers and pull-ups with any sort of regularity. According to Draft Express, that translated into him averaging a dismal 0.743 points per jump shot — think of Andre Roberson on spot-ups — which was the second-worst mark in his class.

As you would expect, Leonard’s inability to space the floor as a 20-year-old had a huge impact on his draft stock. It wasn’t enough for him to fall out of the first round in the 2011 NBA Draft, but it was enough for the likes of Derrick Williams, Enes Kanter, Jan Vesely, Brandon Knight and Jimmer Fredette to hear their names called before his. For example, here’s what ESPN’s Jay Bilas said about Leonard’s jump shot when he was selected by the Pacers (before being traded to the Spurs) with the No. 11 pick:

"“The one thing [Leonard] doesn’t do is shoot it. He’s not a guy that can make shots from the perimeter, but he does put the ball on the floor and he’s working on his handle to play the three position.”"

Then there’s this from Leonard’s NBADraft.net page:

"“Does not have one aspect offensively that stands out or which allows him to consistently score the ball…His jump shot (while definitely improved) is still very inconsistent.”"

As well as this from Draft Express:

"“Leonard’s most notable weakness is his lack of jump shooting ability…As with all players noted for their hand size, there are questions about Leonard’s ability to develop a reliable jump shot.”"

And this from Bleacher Report:

"“[Leonard] really needs to work on his outside shot, but he has shown some shooting ability on occasion. He won’t put up great offensive numbers right away, but he will be valuable on the glass and the defensive end.”"

His inconsistencies as a shooter is why Leonard was often compared to Shawn Marion, Luc Mbah a Moute and Gerald Wallace — a trio of defensive stalwarts who struggled offensively for much of their professional careers — before he played his first NBA game. Leonard is now a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, of course, who ranks in the 90th percentile in spot-up shooting, converts catch-and-shoot opportunities at the same rate as Kevin Durant and makes 42.3 percent of his pull-up attempts. The shooter he was before the NBA Draft couldn’t be more different to the shooter Leonard is today.

None of this is anything particularly new. Much has already been made of how the Spurs transformed Leonard into a reliable shooter, starting with Chip “The Shot Whisperer” Engelland working with him days before the lockout began in his rookie season. As detailed on Grantland by Bill Barnwall in 2014, their primary focus was on his release because he had a slingshot form at the time that turned many of his long-ranged attempts into Hail Mary line drives.

It’s why Engelland compared Leonard’s shot form…

…to Richard Jefferson’s before he joined the Spurs in 2009.

Although Leonard’s shooting mechanics looked “significantly more consistent” in a workout prior to the NBA Draft, you can still see how he brought the ball over his head and how his forearm was basically parallel to the floor every time he shot the ball. It was certainly better in comparison to his form in college, but it was hard to imagine him being able to step out three feet further and force defenders to respect him. For the most part, shooting jumpers was still an effort for him.

The good news for the Spurs is there wasn’t much to actually fix: Engelland told the San Antonio Express-News that Leonard’s shot form didn’t need a full makeover. Instead, “with just a tune-up,” Engelland said, “[Leonard] could become a very good shooter, if not a great shooter.” By getting Leonard to shoot the ball in front of his face versus over his head, the thought was that it would give Leonard a lot more control of the ball. It paid off immediately with him making 41 3-pointers in 64 games at a 37.6 percent clip as a rookie.

Just look at how much smoother this 3-pointer is from the 2012 NBA Playoffs:

Compared to this 3-pointer only a year before:

Or this one:

It doesn’t look like the same person, does it? Now Leonard has gotten to a stage where he’s comfortable taking and making 3-pointers coming off of screens with a defender in his face like he’s J.J. Redick.

Leonard has improved in other areas as well. Whereas 63.9 percent of his shot attempts came at the rim and the 3-point line as a rookie with the Spurs, 46.6 percent came from those locations this season. According to Basketball-Reference, Leonard converted 44.1 percent of his attempts from 10-16 feet this season and 49.3 percent of his attempts from just inside the 3-point line. With his height and wingspan, it’s easy for him to rise up over other players — guards, forwards, centers, you name it — from mid-range and beyond.

Take this possession against the Grizzlies in this season’s playoffs as a good example:

Leonard wouldn’t have been able to get to his spots and drain jump shots over 7-footers with so much control in college. Now that there isn’t any wasted motion in his form, he can get his shot off quickly with a lot more accuracy and consistency.

Next: Harry Giles is the 2017 NBA Draft's biggest wild card

And now that he’s established himself as a 3-way scorer who can get his shot off from the perimeter, midrange and the rim, he’s become one of the scariest volume scorers in the NBA. Unlike many players in the league, he’s comfortable taking whatever the defense gives him, which is a much harder feat than it might sound.

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