Ime Udoka on Jabari Smith: He reminds me of Kawhi Leonard in his first couple years in the league
Udoka had a different comparison for Smith Jr. 's development arc. “Reminds me of Kawhi Leonard back in the day,” Udoka said.
He was an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs for much of Leonard’s tenure. The forward started as a role player before emerging into one of the league’s best two-way talents . “When you talk to Kawhi now,” Udoka said, “he’s pissed about standing in the corner for three years.
He felt like he wasted some years, but I think the growth and progression that we had in San Antonio — to become a spot-up shooter to a pick-and-roll guy to a post-and-isolation guy — was good for him, instead of just throwing him in there when he wasn’t ready for it. A little bit of that with Jabari. ” Houston Chronicle This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Ime Udoka on Jabari Smith: He reminds me of Kawhi Leonard in his first couple years in the league