How Kawhi Leonard is Mimicking Michael Jordan (Fadeaway Comparison)
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- Опубликовано: 5 июл 2024
- More and more people watching the NBA are starting to see this, so you can't call me crazy. Kawhi's calculated game is starting to look a little bit like MJ's, and especially after this playoff series vs. the 76ers... who knows where Kawhi will end up?
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You are trying to give Skip Bayless a heart attack with this.
😂🤣
😂
Lolll
Don't forget he works out with Kobe, who got his moves from MJ
And also brian scalabrine
yep
Yea, it seems he didn’t know that when making this video. Kawhi has been working out with Kobe personally for awhile now, so no surprise it looks like Jordan’s moveset. Had he shown more Kobe footage instead of MJ that would’ve been better, but regardless Kobe got his moves from MJ so it correlates nonetheless.
@@dondon3421 Scalabrini reinvented all basketball moves when he was in his mom's belly.
Oh wow, does he? It makes sense then
MJ is so nasty man. Footwork, fadeaways, moving without the ball, up and unders, stop and pop, reverse layups, hanging one handers, head fakes, shoulder fakes, etc fkn amazing.
No shit sherlock!
Murilo Cruz great point
You mean a 🐐
Exactly. And they tryna say Harden is the best one on one. Fuck outta here. He can’t do none of that shit
@@joseberumen1091Ways to score. Harden: stepbacks, layups, free throws.
MJ: pull up from the middy, pump fake, moving without the ball, threeball ( not much but he shot them ), dunks, layups, fadeaways and surely much more.
Kawhibot downloads and views MJ footage on a daily basis
Yes, he's a Machine Learning Robot that looks at daily input of Michael Jordan footage with neural networks to train and better mimic MJ.
In a video he said he watched Carmelo a lot.
not "downloads and views"...but "downloads, computes and assimilates"
@Igbo Thunder never heard the Melo thing either and I've watched a lot of his media stuff as a Spurs fan. I've heard of him idolizing AI but never studying Melo. Real recognize real though. Melo was great off triple threat.
#Kawhibot ☠😭😭😭😭🤣
His release isnt nearly as smooth, but his game is definitely like an older Jordan.
Totally agree. MJ is faster and jumps higher too
After watching Kawhi game 4 36 pt game against the Warriors he def plays like Jordan. Very efficient
kawhi pounds the ball so hard when he dribbles u might sprain a finger reaching in
Haha
😂he need some milk
Lmfaoo
😂😂😂
Ahahaha
He did study MJ, Pop told him to go watch MJ footage when he was young. Clearly see the results. Master and student
This is a testament to Jordan’s greatness that even after all these years his way of playing is still unstoppable.
Some said MJ is an average player today, 😂😂 they can't even stop the Leonard's jump shot and fade away, not even Giannis or Embeed. MJ will average 40+ a game for sure.
MJ will go to the line even more times than James Harden 😂
Easy 50+ if he wanted to
An imagine him shooting 6, 7 three's a game
those who are saying that are kids and retards. look at Kobe who also dominated the game. and Kobe always saying Jordan is his Master.
Dude seriously! I can’t believe people is saying Mj wouldn’t score even 30+ like bruh, this era rule book is literally made to protect all scorers and MJ is literally unstoppable with hand check so without hand check this is gonna be easy buckets all day
Not to be 'that guy' but he's been looking like Jordan for a few years.
Exactly. Since 2015-2016 at least
Specially in 16-17
Wardell Stephen Curry II Stan yup, said the same thing years ago and got shitted on in comments. We are “that guy”.
That damn zaza
@@maginoongmambubuhat5756 he could've won mvp that season tbh
There is some sort of artistry whenever MJ is in mid air, whether he would dunk or jump shot
Dru dat
Kobe and kawhi using mjs moves to win championships yet people still believe mj couldn’t play in the modern era🤦🏾♂️
who ever said that?
@@mrbigpappy85 Curry fans, Harden fans and some other "3 point" minded player
Please delete your comment referencing me and I will delete my comments. I don’t want to be in an Internet back-and-forth.
@@KyoFanDuB add some LBJ fans
@@carmelodegu I am a Bron fan, I think think MJ would average 43.2 points, 9 rebounds 6 assists, how come our base is targeted for everything.
Kawhi doesn't have MJ hops but he does have a damn good vert with a 7'3" wingspan
dude, this is one of the best basketball youtube channels. hope you get more views...your perspective is much appreciated.
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Chapter 3 after Jordan and Kobe.
The fadeaways, the defense and the tough mentality. Yeah checks out
Definitely chap 3.
The torch has been passed down.
If he can win a ring then I'm buying it
No cap
Check out our journey with our vlog series! 🙏🏻 ruclips.net/video/dz-D_wlqpDo/видео.html
I knew I wasn't the only one that sees MJ in Kawhi
FR
Still amazing how MJ was able to contort his body mid-air to get decent shots off.
Yeah so graceful to watch
It was a combination of unrivalled hangtime, fast reflexes, and large hands. There are tons of clips of MJ doing moves nobody in the NBA can do as controlled/consistently, even 30 freaking years later. BTW, half of MJ's games from his most athletic years aren't even available.
@@played0ut Well said. With the little footage there is of his early years, though, I find that his mechanics became ever more refined later on. Maybe I'm just imagining it, but 35 years old MJ moved differently than his 25 year old version, and it's not just because his knees were shot. He just reinvented himself time and again, always evolving and adding something. What an athlete.
@@played0ut they are available but only to those hardcore fans who trade digitized copies of vhs online somewhere away from youtube. there are still a good amount of full jordan games missing though. but you are right about jordan athletic prime being overlooked simply because they aren't easily found on youtube
Never forget he got those moves from brian scalabrine
Tho not quite as athletic as the white mamba
Ooooiooo no from Kobe dumb ass do your research
@@102allenwalker This would be funny if there were people who actually say stuff like that
@@OfficialGrimmjow Not as fast as the white mamba too
😀😀😀
The Spurs made him study MJ and Pippen videos during his early years
Popovich knows what he’s doing
this is right. i guess only the spurs fans would know about it. although i am very turned off by how ball dominant leonard has been in the last couple series. jordan was far more complete as a scorer with way more tricks than just iso one on one. also jordan had way better game sense when it comes to breaking down double/triple teams. in reality they aren't that similar. i would say early wade was more similar to a 96-98 jordan than leonard in terms of driving to the basket.
@@popeyeisgood Agreed!
@@popeyeisgood well he's just doing what we needed for him to win, he's not as ball dominant as ppl think, but when u have a team that at times is shooting 20 something% from 3 and 30 from the field, he put the team on his shoulder and carried. On the other hand, when he knows his teammates are feeling it, he's a willing passer (game 3, 4, 5 vs. bucks)
Wayne Wang facts
I've thought I'm the only ONE who noticed it especially watching it Live on TV during FINALS 2019 GSW vs. RAPTOR. When Kawhi moves to leave his deffender and shoot the Ball, I've even shouted like a Jordan moves from MIchael Jordan.
Kawhi is a top 2 player in the league and the best two-way player.
Top 3.
Christian prince.
Did you watch the kuroko movie
Any team with Curry on it would be better than with Kawhi, so you'd rather have Kawhi than Durant and LeBron?
I hate that term they just stat using that term a few years ago lol either your the best overall player or you not and that is Kd or Lebron
Van Houten: He'd come over to my house and he'd watch Michael Jordan highlights. We called them "Mike highs" ... I mean, like four or five hours at a time.
Coach Velasquez: We'd be done with the game and he'd be on his phone watching Jordan on RUclips. Right away. He wasn't texting. He was watching Jordan on RUclips. He'd watch it all day, every day.
Shelton: You would see him watching that stuff. But he still wouldn't talk about it.
Coach Velasquez: Coach Fisher had a no-cellphone policy at team dinners, but Kawhi would have his phone on his lap watching Jordan highlights. He would really study his moves.
Franklin: On his phone, his background was Michael Jordan. He would always say, "I'm Mike. You like Lebron, you like Kobe? Yeah, they're cool, but I'm Mike. I want to be the best, the greatest." And from how he carried himself, we knew he was serious. We knew that's what he really wanted.
"The board man gets paid: an oral history of Kawhi Leonard's college days", By Jayson Jenks, from The Athletic
If this is true, I did not know this. Aside from this, it just goes to show how the media changed the narrative to make today's fan think MJ's style is outdated and he couldn't hang in the league now. It takes people like Kawhi and others who take bits and pieces of Mike's game and kill to prove all the naysayers wrong.
@@kcire-tv3wy yes mj would be a more athletic kawhi or a better Jimmy Butler if he played now
And people say that Jordan’s game won’t be relevant in this era. Kawhi’s a testament of how effective Mj’s game is-- in any era. I’m also waiting for that big man to mimic Kareem’s sky hook as well as Hakeem’s post moves.
I know! If only Giannis devoted himself to studying Hakeem and Jabaar in the same way Kawhi did with Jordan/Kobe.
Robin Bartels yup... with his physical ability he should be able to do it..
Robin Bartels omg can you imagine Giannis with a sky hook?....
@@robinbartels5501 only of Giannis accomplish the Dirk fadeaway
Michael Jordan → Kobe Bryant → Kawhi Leonard
蘇邦丞 no question...but I would pick kawhi over Kobe tho...bcuz he’s a better defender and more efficient
@@rictev7177 Kawhi is only more efficient because of the era he plays in, and Kobe was all defensive first team 9 times, so I agree with the OP
@@rictev7177 Kawhi is a marginally better defender than Kobe. Kobe was a Top 5 Defender in the league throughout his prime, although not the #1 like Kawhi or Jordan were at certain points of their career. MJ and KB both have 9 All-NBA First Team Defense awards and KB has 3 more Second Teams.
Also, Kawhi is currently playing in the most statistically efficient era while Kobe Bryant played in the least statistically efficient era of all time. This era has the most inflated PPG and EFG% and TS% of all eras as of yet. Kobe Bryant's era was the wing-dominated iso-heavy midrange dominant league with the lowest scoring averages of all time (Of course, this was Kobe's fault because in the same way Curry changed the league to 3pt Shooting, Kobe dominated and changed the league to have to match his iso-mid-range dominance in the half-court). If you compare betwen eras, you have to contextualize the eras in which they played in, and the careers they had with their teams.
Adjusted for TS% and EFG% and Pace, Kobe Bryant's offensive dominance is almost exactly if not more dominant than that of Michael Jordan, not even accounting for the era and shot-selection of the era. And if you remove MJ's Wizard years, and Kobe's initial and ending years, they are even more comparable that it's scary. And you have to remember that again, Kobe's era was the most dredging offensive NBA we have ever seen with Kobe taking the worst looking iso shots imaginable, and still torching the NBA for 5 Championships as the best player of the era and still matching MJ's efficiency in a much more offensively inclined era. (Hand-Checking was removed by instead Illegal Defense was legalized, making defense a lot harder in the 2000s - 2012)
But, you're free to pick Kawhi over Kobe, as with any other player. You're entitled to your own opinion. But, context really paints the true and real picture of a player's dominance. And Kobe and Michael were both the best players of their generation and had 5 and 6 championships respectively, completely disallowing other great players to even win a single chip. Kawhi currently has 1, in which he was surrounded by 3 HOF players, and is in his 2nd ever year as the clear #1 option; before, he was playing in an all-time Spurs system taking easy shots within the flow of the offense. We'll see whether Kawhi can dominate the way MJ and KB will in this era though, he still has the potential to win 5 - 6 championships if he's really that good.
LeBron fans are now hurt
@@MarcusExum97 this was beautiful. You took everything of what I was about to say right out of my mouth.
Dude, i was waiting for this vidéo so long. You the first lauching a comparison the git. So thankfull....made my life complete.
jordan was also a lot more flexible and smooth on footwork. one example that is often overlooked is the subtle shift of pivot foot upon receiving a pass. jordan's intuition and reaction to defender's position is so natural and instantaneous that he was able to make super quick last second adjustment to which foot he was gonna use as pivot. sometime it is borderline travel but he did it so quickly and smoothly that a lot of time refs couldnt react fast enough to call ( the moves become more obvious when you watch it in slow motion). but the ability to switch pivot foot allows jordan to have the best attack angle on his defender.
popeyeisgood Exactly what I think great analysis👌🏽
Very well explained👍
Jordan didn’t waste any moves, Kobe sometimes did too much and wasnt that good at decision making.
That’s some astute analysis. Jordan’s game needs to be analyzed in slow motion, there are so many subtleties that go unnoticed and therefore unappreciated.
@@greatomeister675 .... Kobe never learned how to effectively shed defenders. This led to his being less efficient from the field and turnover-prone.
You've been straight grinding lately! Love the work!
Kawhi learned from kobe and kobe learned from Mj. Kawhi wants to be a winner that's why he patterns his game to kobe and mj who are proven winners.
True
FACT
it the only blue print, that have been proven to worked winning multiple championships with different players. #fact
Man I've been saying this for years. What are people looking at? 🤦🤷
Kawhi best in the league right now he is so smooth man. MJ without the flash
Not even close to smooth as mj but the best in todays game
alan shelly koshy of course not but similar
As someone who subscribed to your channel pretty early I'm still not fully used to you talking during your videos but I'm slowly getting there lol.
There will be a mix of the two!
Me either
Me too :|
Love this comparison type video!!
I think Kawhi is a great example of how MJ's game would look if he played today. He'd probably be even more efficient, with the lack of true rim protectors in the league and attention to advanced metrics. Jordan is an even more tenacious defender and competitor. Kawhi a better rebounder. Both are excellent without the ball too.
Last week someone said Kawhi was looking like MJ out there and I had to shush them. I've just heard the comp so much I've grown numb to it now. And let's face it, it's never a fair one. But after seeing him sink that shot it's getting hard to write it off anymore. Because those types of big time plays in the biggest moments are what we think of when we think of Mike, not statistics. If he could somehow lead his team to a ring this year imo it'd be the most impressive thing I've seen since 23 left Chicago.
One aspect Kawhi won't be able to compare with Jordan is Michael's *phenomenal* 46" vertical. (Kobe was 38", Kawhi 32.5").
@@AaronMichaelLong True. He is also not nearly as fast as MJ and Kobe. He is a bit bigger though and probably stronger
yea i like leonard since 2014 but i wont say that he is on par with jordan to the slightest. he studied jordan and had nice shot selection and good fg% unlike ball hog kobe. but many aspects of leonard's game is lacking compared to jordan. explosiveness, agility, dribbling, hop, footwork, game sense, defense, stamina, finesse around the basket, these are all the areas that leonard is inferior to jordan. leonard is definitely a more pleasing player to watch than lebron in my book but he is definitely no jordan, anyone who have witness most of their careers with good memory will agree with that.
@@popeyeisgood Of course he's not even close. Was just saying what he brings to the table reminds me of MJ more than any player since Kobe.
@@lainiwakura4678 don't get me wrong, i agree with you on almost everything you said. but the real jordan only exists in the hardcore fans' memory or some brief youtube highlight for the general public. it is kind of sad
Really like your videos! Minimal design, shorter than usual and with enough content and detail. Keep on!
Great video, learned a lot
Very nicely done, sir! You didn't diminish one to elevate the other.
Aw ya missed including that clip of the Kawhi doing a grip & fake pass like MJ does @4:44. But I love this video and its premise, solid job.
Mj passed the torch to kobe then kobe passed it to kawhi. You are right sir. It is still from Mj.
love the comparison and music
This video articulated so many of our thoughts so clearly. Thanks for this.
Dope vid I don't save alot of things from RUclips but this is getting saved .....the fade away is my go to move during runs at the YMCA done right its impossible to stop
thanks for the great video! just subscriped.
these MJ alike shots was exactly what i was thinking about while watching Kawhi in the playoffs.
I also notice that kawhi has been trailing when the defense forces him to shoot after hanging more time than regular in the air. The shoot is coming short.
But Kawhi is being really impressive and i think he is about to dominate the hanging in the air fade aways and become even better.
Cheers from Brazil
Great video. Subscribed
There was a particular summer, before the Spurs decided to make him the #1 option, where studying MJ in the post was the main focus for Kawhi. Summer after that was spent studying more current players on how to draw fouls.
Great video!!!!!
GREAT VIDEO!!!
Thanks for sharing. It is great.😁
Excellent work
You lowkey sound like Lonzo 🤣 Great Vid 🙌🏽
Nice analysis !!!
I watched Game 1 Rapt. VS Bucks and thought, hmm...Kawhis Bodylanguage reminds me more and more of MJ...in the next Moment i See your Video! So Cool Bro! Your Analysis ist very interesting!
kawhi studied mj tapes to learn his moves. srsly. they were given to him by pop.
Keep it up bruh!!!
Your color grading is on another level
I wanna see a video that explains how you do your analysis. Some of the details you talk about and explain seem really tough to make good conclusions about (like when you explained why the second foot is farther back). So I'd love to learn your process because I think it could probably be applied to many things.
All this praise comes when he’s not on the spurs...smh
Spurs gets no love
You Sound Like Skip Baylees Which your Sad Ass
That's the life of a Spurs fan.
@@anthonynorman7545 That's the life of a Spurs player. Pop makes sure his players are always in the background and only he gets attention.
he always got praise
Can you please send me the link for the first background beat?
Nice work bro keep grinding but can u make a vid about absorbing contact while doing layups? Or have a drill bout it thankss
A really good way to absorb contact on a layup is to actually create the contact yourself and give a little bump to the defender. If you know that there will be contact, if you initiate the contact you will be in control and throw your defender off and go up for an easy layup. Also, that way you can create the contact on the drive but before the actual finish which requires precision. If you wait for contact while going for a layup, that contact will come when you're finishing the layup and throw your shot off, and the defender will be in control.
yesssss this is content!!!
Greaet analysis!!
Dude great vid. Kawhi is seriously a top 5 scorer in the league when considering scoring skillset.
Great breakdown
This guy is a hybrid of Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant
Which is why I loathe and love him. Too bad he didn't stay with his team like they did.
@Nima Elyasi actually his shot coach had him put it in front of his face because he kinda put it above his head
@@anthonynorman7545 It's the Spurs fault he left. Get mad at them.
Michael Jordan no it’s not he wanted out spurs couldn’t do anything about it
Very good video.
Good Stuff . . . Excellent . Stay Frosty All
This may be a hunch but I feel like their hand size also help. If you watch easily both Jordan and Kawhi grip the ball, it allows for an easy smooth shot on the fadeaway and focus on footwork.
Great point.
Yup it's the hand size, there's a video of Old Jordan past wizards era teaching the fundamentals of fadeaway, in the video he says he shoot with his 3(thumb, index and middle) fingers only to control the movement of the ball.
well someone made a vid about it. i always was drawn to him. i grew up watching MJ.
Kawhi weapons are more deadly than Hardens three steps back.
Kawhi will eat Harden 1-on-1 any day
Nor Priest he’s also bigger so that helps in the 1v1 situation
nothing is more deadly than a step back 3. kawhi’s fadeaways and pullups are nasty, but 3 is always more than 2
@@brianmontgomery580 3 is more than 2 if all of it goes in though. But Harden has a record of bricking multiple threes in a row, 22 consecutive threes missed in a playoffs series, a 0-11 threes in 1 night. damn
@@brianmontgomery580 A stepback 3 better than a fadeaway lmao this little kids.
@@bernarddelossantos8083 even though a stepback 3 isn't better than post fadeaways with high iq, kawhi can the shoot the 3 very efficiently
it would be awesome if you could do a video about absorbing/creating contact in the paint
How to read a defender plz!!!
I don't really think or has to do with Kawhi's vertical ability but more because of his shot. MJ had a clear two motion shot which allowed him to more easily hang longer on the fadeaways. While Kawhi is more in the one motion/two motion shot area kinda like Klay Thompson
Kawhi got everything but a one motion shot.
@@kingphil4073 not enough hops
Brilliant breakdown.
Damn that center of gravity thing makes sense lol
Good job dude
Awesome analysis. I knew MJs shots looked smoother but couldn't put my finger on why until now.
What a fantastic channel
Thanks. It’s great 👍
I see that new logo, looking nice
Two things often overlooked, Mike moved away from defenders when performing his turnaround fadeaways or moving to get an open shot. He was very apt at making his defender pick his own help defender to create spaces to shoot..
good analysis.
Nice video
0:44 y'all notice how MJ sneaks in two quick steps to get deeper position 👀
Sneaky
I just need to take a moment to gasp at how godly MJ was, especially with that fadeaway. Those clips are actually making me emotional...
When I was balling 20-25 years ago, I used to try a lot of his turn-around fadaways. I can tell you, he expends a lot of energy performing them, especially the ones where he spins in the opposite direction than normal. Just amazing!
@1:29 that hangtime is why V.C still has a sweet jumper. His and M.J's leaping ability allows them to still see the rim as the defender is already coming down.
that's a great point man, V.C ol' as dirt thow, but hmmmm good work if you can get it 🙌🙌🙌🙌
Closest thing to MJ since MJ hands down.
Have you heard of Kobe Bryant?
Uhh... MJ had higher set point relative to the ground. He had a higher vertical that's why he keeps that elbow shooting angle because of his elevation. His jumpshots were insanely high. Can't think of anyone who consistently jumps higher than him while doing it 15x a game.
He was just the best. Nobody does it, because nobody can. It is very hard to do unless you are extremely gifted physically. Kobe used to do it, but he would just miss way too much, and even with that, he never jumped quite as high. The thing I always thought stood out about MJ was how much elevation and separation he got on his offensive moves into his jumpshots, and how he was able to sustain it and still hit at a high rate. He was a damn animal. Even in '98 he still got UP on those shots. Midrange God.
Good shit.
The fadeaway for perimeter players is like the hook shot for bigs. Unstoppable when done right, but not used enough.
When Doc Rivers made the statement about Kwahi being the most like Jordon he ever seen, it was so much talk about it.
Let me know when Kawhi does the Jordan shoulder fake from the left baseline
Thanks😀
Jordans air time is a phenom yet to be seen until this day. Constantly doing it through his whole career.
Thanks. great 😀
they both have a strong post set up, specially when they back players down.. same base
EVERY basketball player emulates EVERY past and present player...these “mimicking” comparisons are ridiculous, your skill set is your skill set
Not really. Name me a guy Michael hakeem duncan Shaq gloves pippen Magic Kareem copied from.
His backspin rpms are also very high in his jump shot.You can see it in his free throws as well.
That one two dribble jumpshot of MJ was deadly ... i was so kawhi learned that ... kobe had that too
There is a clip of MJ doing a fadeway vs Bullets in 97 I think. Jordan is floating so back on his fadeway. His hangtime is just insane.
when you make the comparisons, is when you can enjoy how much explosion and jump Mj has