In many ways, Kawhi Leonard’s game is very old-school. That’s especially true of his love of the mid-range jumper.
As jump shooters continue to move beyond the three-point line, Leonard remains one of the few players with a thriving mid-range game. That led Clippers coach Doc Rivers to dust off some old plays he drew up for one of his former players that he hasn’t used in years.
Kawhi Leonard is one of the foremost practitioners of a dying art — the midrange jumper. While figuring out how to use Kawhi in his offense last offseason, Doc Rivers said he decided to dust off some Paul Pierce sets from Boston he estimated he hadn't run in 8 years.
— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) September 4, 2020
It’s safe to say Rivers enjoys coaching Leonard. Between his steady demeanor and the fact that Rivers can open up the playbook for him, that has to be a lot of fun.
Leonard scored a career-high 27.1 points per game this season. Whatever Rivers is doing for him, it seems to be working.
