Leonard: just a shooter?
Leonard is used almost exclusively around the perimeter on offense. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this, especially as he shot extremely well against the Raptors, it certainly makes his presence on the floor one-dimensional.
When he isn’t getting looks or his shots aren’t falling, Leonard is primed to disappear. And when he found, and missed, only one opportunity in the first half, he looked nervous and confused on the floor.
But perhaps the most nefarious part of Leonard’s game is his lack of rebounding despite standing over seven-feet tall. Throughout his career, he has averaged only 3.4 rebounds per game. Last night, he logged zero boards in 15.4 minutes.
Leonard is not a great defensive player, but he could make up for this by using his height to be feisty on the glass. The guy looked yoked in photos throughout the offseason and in this first game, and I assumed he would use this strength to fight for rebounds. But most of the time, he looked uninterested in battling down low.
Collins: so far, so bad in the low post
No doubt, Collins looked far more engaged on the glass than Leonard did. However, his first game was ultimately a disappointment, especially in the post.
Although he has been touted as a defensive building block, and who Neil Olshey referred to as best rated defender in Summer League at his Media Day presser, he struggled to contain the Raptors Greg Monroe. And just about anyone else without fouling.
In Summer League, he recorded 2.7 blocks per game. Against Toronto, he swatted nothing but forearms.
He also struggled to hit shots, going only two-for-eight – one of which was an alley-oop jam. He shot no three-pointers, and his attempts to get going from the low post were oftentimes thwarted by defenders both larger and smaller than him. At one point, even Malachi Richardson shut him down.
And Malachi Richardson should not be stopping anyone in the post, especially not someone six inches taller than him.