Kawhi Leonard, SF

It was commonplace to see Kawhi Leonard as the team's leader in scoring and rebounds on a nightly basis. In 70 games with the Aztecs, he produced 40 double-doubles, which ranked fourth in the nation in 2010-11.

In just two seasons at SDSU, he guided the Aztecs to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 berth in 2011. The team captured a pair of Mountain West Conference titles with Leonard leading the way, including a school season-record 34 victories during the 2010-11 campaign.

Nicknamed the "Human Avatar" Leonard's dominance has NBA scouts likening his skills to those of Gerald Wallace. The Aztec small forward finished 22nd in the nation with an average of 9.882 rebounds per game during the 2009-10 season. Last season, he improved that stellar performance, as his average of 10.556 boards per game ranked ninth in the NCAA Division I ranks.

Leonard was an instant sensation since first arriving on campus in 2009. He went on to start 69-of-70 games for the Aztecs, as his 40 career double-double performances rank second in school history behind Michael Cage's 61, and it took that forward four seasons (1981-84) to accomplish that feat. His 40 double-doubles tied Andrew Bogut of Utah (2003-05) for the Mountain West Conference's all-time record.

A model of consistency, Leonard recorded double figures for scoring 56 times and had at least ten rebounds in 42 contests, including nine clashes where he pulled down fifteen or more boards. He led the Aztecs in scoring 27 times, in rebounding 43 times and in assists 16 times, reaching the 20-point scoring plateau on twelve occasions.

Leonard closed out his college career as the school's second-ranked performer with an average of 10.229 rebounds per game. His total of 716 rebounds rank fifth in SDAU annals, and his 64 consecutive games started rank seventh in school history.

Not done etching his name in the Aztecs' record books, Leonard's 377 successful field goals placed 14th in school history. His scoring average of 14.143 points rank 16th on the SDSU career-record chart, finishing 18th with 45 blocked shots, 19th with 990 total points and 20th with 98 steals.

The numbers were a driving force behind Leonard's decision to leave school after two seasons and enter the 2011 NBA Draft. He also did so with family considerations at the top of his mind. Few outside of family and close friends knew that the most moving part of Kawhi's story is not just his success at SDSU, but the supplier of his drive. Leonard lost his father in a shooting when he was a senior in high school, and the memory of his father is strong in the NBA-bound player.

"Kawhi handled this season in as fine of fashion as a player can handle it," head coach Steve Fisher said. "After the Final Four, I met with Kawhi and his family and I presented everything in terms of the information I had. They were extremely receptive and at the end of the conversation we reached a decision that he would submit his name for the draft. I am totally supportive of Kawhi, his family and his decision.

Over two seasons, Leonard picked up his fair share of hardware. In 2009-10, he became the only freshman in the 11-year history of the Mountain West Conference to earn conference player-of-the-week accolades three times. When the season ended, Leonard was the MWC tournament most valuable player, the first freshman in league history to be named to the all-MWC first team and was the MWC freshman of the year. The forward was also named to Sporting News' all-freshman second team and the NABC's All-District XVII squad.

In 2010-11, Leonard was one of 10 players selected to the Wooden Award All-America team, was a second-team All-American by The NBA Draft Report, the Associated Press, Sporting News and FoxSports.com, and was a State Farm Coaches' third-team All-American. He was also one of 10 candidates for the Naismith Award and one of 20 eligible for the Wooden Award.

On a regional and conference level, Leonard was named to the NABC All-District XVII and the USBWA All-District IX squads, while earning all-MWC first team, MWC all-tournament and All-MWC defensive team accolades. In addition, the sophomore was a two-time MWC player of the week and the CBE Classic Oxford Sub-regional MVP.

Positives: Leonard has the large hands, long wing span and frame to eventually convert to power forward if he adds bulk and strength to play there … Has decent ball-handling skills but most of his points are scored on energy plays: putbacks, isolation and pick-and-roll plays, as he has excellent leaping ability … Does a good job of drawing contact on the way to the rim, where he has been able to convert at a 74.4 percent rate from the charity stripe … Lacks great lateral quickness to be a wing defender, but with his long wing span and leaping ability, he's quite effective crashing the boards (10.23 rebounds per game) on the defensive end and has that second bounce effort to get lots of put-backs from the offensive glass … He's more of a jack-of-all-trades as nothing stands out on his scouting report, but he's a very good role player who performs well within the system and could earn minutes at both forward spots … He has the ball-handling skills to get minutes at the two-spot and even though he lacks foot speed, he used his long reach and large hands to amass 98 steals in 70 games … Has the high-running motor coaches love, hustling for loose balls, and doesn't hesitate to get in position to take the charge … Has a long stride and ability to hang in the air to draw contact on the way to the rim, showing a quick first step and jab to get separation vs. power forwards … More of a rhythm shooter and is not going to put up good numbers from the perimeter, but when he sets his feet, he is capable of scoring … Keeps the ball active around the rim with his jumping ability; angles and slips past defenders for quick putbacks from the offensive glass … Lacks explosive speed, but has a long stride and good stamina to get up and down the court … Efficient shot-blocker and has the leaping ability to block shots on his second leap … Uses his body well to fill the lane in transition and has become a capable passer, collecting 91 assists as a sophomore … Has good back-to-the-basket skills in the low post … Hard worker without the ball and comes off screens hard … Can keep the ball on the floor and use his low dribble to create plays for others … Gets excellent elevation going for the rebound or in attempts to block shots, and is also quite effective using his leaping skills to dunk over the weak-side of the basket … Smooth open-court runner best served in an up-tempo attack because of his stride … Creates mismatches for most small forwards with his length and leaping ability, but needs to be more selective shooting from behind the arc … Moves quickly around the basket without the ball in his hands and works hard to maintain position and stay in front of his man to try and alter the opponent's shot.

Negatives: Hailed as a physical specimen, Leonard lacks explosive court quickness to defeat the defender on the bounce … Will need to improve his overall core strength and musculature to finish around the basket at the next level … Lacks the perimeter game to park on the outside and keep defenses honest … Has the ability to out-jump his opponent, but has a low release, which causes lots of his long distance attempts to result in air balls (made just 25 percent of his 164 attempts from 3-point range) … Played more at the "four" spot, but his frame is more suited for the three-forward position … The problem with playing at "three" is that he does not have the court speed or long range shooting polish to excel playing out on the wing … Slingshots the ball when firing from the perimeter, causing his attempts to fall flat and allowing defenders a better chance to block his attempts … Not effective shooting coming off the dribble and is right-hand dominant, showing poor ball-handling skills when he has to use his left … Foul prone and looks gangly swinging his arms around wildly in attempts to apply defense, but because he gives a side so much, wings have had very good success slashing on him on the way to the basket … Even his jump shot is a work in progress, as he completed just 26.23 percent of his pull-up jumpers (has better success scoring on put-backs, spot-ups and pick-and-rolls) … His inside game is inconsistent; he seems to get out of control off the dribble and needs to make better decisions there, as he will more often try to force off-balanced shots rather than pass out to a teammate with a better scoring opportunity (improved his assists from 65 as a frosh to 91 last year, but his hesitation going to the basket resulted in 76 turnovers).

Compares To: SHAWN MARION, Dallas Mavericks -- Leonard needs to continue working on his jump shot, as his perimeter game is lacking, making him a bit of a liability playing on the wing. He's shorter than advertised -- team says he's 6 feet, 8 inches, but he measured 6-foot-6 -- and lacks the sudden quickness to create mismatches vs. smaller wings. He also lacks the core strength to pound away with the four-type forwards. He could eventually fill out his frame, but like Marion, if he can improve his range on his jumper and from the perimeter, he will bring better value as a combo forward with excellent hops to be a sneaky-good rebounder and clamp-down defender. Without a long-range game, he'll be nothing more than a role player in the Luc Richard Mbah a Moute mold.

Leonard was one of ten players selected to the Wooden Award All-American team … Added second-team All-American from The NBA Draft Report, the Associated Press, Sporting News and FoxSports.com … Was a State Farm Coaches' third-team All-American … Also one of ten candidates up for the Naismith Award … On a regional and conference level, Leonard was named to the NABC All-District XVII and the USBWA All-District IX squads, while earning All-Mountain West Conference first-team, MWC All-Tournament and All-MWC defensive team accolades … In addition, the sophomore was a two-time MWC player of the week and the CBE Classic Oxford Sub-regional MVP … Led the conference in rebounding, offensive rebounding and defensive rebounding, as his average of 10.556 rebounds per game finished ninth in the NCAA Division I ranks … Also placed fourth in the conference in scoring (557 points); fourth in steals (51); sixth in free throw percentage (75.9 percent); seventh in field goal percentage (44.4 percent) and seventh in minutes played (1,172) … Finished fourth in the NCAA ranks with 23 double-double performances … Reached double figures in scoring 33 times and had 10-plus rebounds 23 times … Scored 20 or more points a team-best 10 times, with nine coming away from home … Grabbed 15 or more rebounds five times … The small forward started all 36 games in which he played … Led the team in scoring 16 times, in rebounding 25 times and in assists 12 times … Finished the season by making 12 of his final 13 free throw attempts and shot 85.2 percent from the line (52-61) in his last eleven outings.

Freshman All-American second-team selection by The NBA Draft Report and Sporting News … Became the only freshman in the 11-year history of the Mountain West Conference to earn conference player-of-the-week accolades three times and was the only freshman in league annals to garner All-MWC first-team accolades … Was named the MWC tournament most valuable player and was selected the conference's Freshman of the Year … Added NABC All-District XVII first-team honors … Ranked 22nd in the nation with an average of 9.882 rebounds per game, finishing 13th in the NCAA Division I ranks with 17 double-double performances … Led the conference in rebounding (336) and offensive rebounding (119), finishing third in defensive rebounding (217), sixth in steals (47), seventh in scoring (433 points), eighth in field-goal percentage (45.5 percent), eighth in free-throw percentage (72.6) and eighth in minutes played (1,064) … Was one of only four freshman in NCAA Division I to lead his team in scoring and rebounding … Averaged 12.735 points, as he played in all 34 games and earned the starting nod 33 times, including the final 28 games … Finished with 17 double-doubles, which set a freshman school record previously held by Michael Cage (10) in 1981 … Had seven or more rebounds in 28 games … Posted 19 double-digit rebound games, including 13 vs. Santa Clara (11-19-09), and 24 double-figure scoring efforts (three 20-point performances) … Led the team in rebounding 19 times and in scoring 11 times, both of which were team bests … Finished with team-high honors in assists four different times.

Leonard started 69-of-70 games at San Diego State, including his final 64 contests … Scored 990 points (14.143 points per game) on 377-of-840 field goals (44.9 percent), 41-of-164 treys (25.0 percent) and 195-of-262 free throws (74.4 percent) … Grabbed 716 rebounds (10.229 rebounds per game), as he blocked 45 shots, had 156 assists (2.229 assists per game) and registered 98 steals (1.4 steals per game) … His 990 career points rank as the 19th-highest total in SDSU history … His 716 rebounds rank seventh all-time in San Diego State history and is the fifth most in the program's D-I history … A double-double machine, the forward had 40 double-double performances in 70 career games, including 23 in 2010-11. His 40 double-doubles rank second in school history behind Michael Cage's 60 (1981-84) … His 23 in 2010-11 ranked fourth in the NCAA and is tied with Cage (1984) for the most in a single season … Posted 57 double-figure scoring performances, including 13 20-point efforts and 42 double-digit rebounding performances in his Aztec career … Last season alone, Leonard produced 33 games with 10 points or more and grabbed a minimum of 10 rebounds 23 different times … The forward also led the team in scoring 27 times in his career, in rebounding 44 times and in assists 16 times.

Attended Martin Luther King (Riverside, Calif.) High School, where Scout.com rated Leonard the 25th-best small forward in the nation … Was named the 2009 California Mr. Basketball by CalHiSports.com, as the USA Today All-USA third-team pick was the recipient of the John R. Wooden California High School Player of the Year Award as a senior … Averaged 22.6 points, 13.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.0 blocks in 2009, as The Los Angeles Times Player of the Year had at least 20 points and 20 rebounds six times as a senior for a team that went 30-3, won the CIF Southern Section Division I-AA title and finished in second place in the Southern California Regional … Was additionally a CalHi-Sports.com All-State first-team pick, a Collision All-Star Game participant and ended his senior year ranked 56th on ESPNU's Top 100 … Led King to a 32-3 record (8-0 Ivy League) as a junior, helping the team advance to the CIF Division I Southern Section finals, where he scored 23 points vs. Compton Dominguez … As a junior, he averaged 17.3 points and 6.5 rebounds to earn All-Area second-team honors from The Press-Enterprise … Rivals.com rated him as a four-star player, the 14th-best small forward in America and the 76th-best player at any position.

Business major … Son of Kim Robertson … Born Kawhi A. Leonard on 6/29/91 in Los Angeles, California … Resides in Riverside, California.