John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Nick Nurse Reveals Kawhi Leonard's Secret to Nailing The Shot
If Kawhi Leonard's four-bounce Game 7-winner over the Philadelphia 76ers was just luck, how come it happened twice?
Two months before Leonard sent the Toronto Raptors into the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals, the superstar forward nailed almost the exact same shot against the Portland Trail Blazers. Just like against Philadelphia, Leonard ran to his right, took three dribbles to the corner, and with the game on the line, leaped for a deep two-point jumper. Four bounces later, the Raptors broke a tie with the Trail Blazers to clinch a 119-117 victory.
That can't be luck.
“The guy has an unnatural spin on the ball because both of those shots looked like they were going to be short," said former NBA sharpshooter JJ Redick on his recent episode of The Old Man and the Three with Raptors coach Nick Nurse.
That crazy spin comes courtesy of Leonard's incredible 9.75 inches long and 11.25 inches wide hands, Nurse said.
“Man, you’ve seen the size of his hands and the strength in them and the way he snaps his wrists," the Raptors coach said. "I would say a lot of the force is right there in his wrists and in his fingers, (it) makes that thing really turn.”
All that spin allowed Leonard to get off that high-arching jumper over the outstretched arms of Joel Embiid and gently kiss the ball off the front of the rim, bounce it four times, and sink it in one of the greatest shots in NBA history.
Further Reading
Raptors get positive returns from fully-healthy rotation in blowout victory over Knicks
Scottie Barnes details his 'boring' second bout with COVID-19
