{"id":51341,"date":"2025-08-07T05:59:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T05:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/51341\/"},"modified":"2025-08-07T05:59:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T05:59:10","slug":"jeff-teague-names-the-future-nba-star-who-is-way-more-athletic-than-kawhi-leonard-and-can-become-a-top-10-player","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/51341\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeff Teague names the future NBA star who is \u2018way more athletic than Kawhi Leonard\u2019 and can become a top 10 player"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kawhi Leonard stands among the NBA\u2019s most athletic players, using his physical gifts on both ends of the court.<\/p>\n

His resume includes two Finals MVP awards, two Defensive Player of the Year honors, and eight All-NBA selections.<\/p>\n

Finding two-way athletic players like Kawhi Leonard<\/a> proves difficult, especially among non-centers who can impact winning at elite levels.<\/p>\n

However, former player Jeff Teague believes one current player surpasses Kawhi athletically, especially for the defensive aspect<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"LosPhoto by Thearon W. Henderson\/Getty ImagesTeague sees elite potential in Amen Thompson\u2019s athleticism, makes Kawhi Leonard comparison<\/p>\n

Teague thinks Houston Rockets<\/a> guard Amen Thompson<\/a> possesses superior athleticism and could develop into a top-10 player with proper shooting development.<\/p>\n

The former point guard expressed strong confidence in Thompson\u2019s trajectory following his sophomore season. Teague believes the young guard will make significant improvements in his third NBA campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have got a lot of stock in that Thompson twin. I just think he\u2019s going to take a leap. He was good last year but I think he\u2019s going to be great next year,\u201d Teague explained.<\/p>\n

Thompson\u2019s ceiling depends entirely on developing consistent perimeter shooting. Teague argues that adding reliable three-point shooting would make Thompson virtually unguardable.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he ever figures out how to shoot the ball, he\u2019ll be a top 10 player in the NBA. If he figures out how to shoot the ball, you can\u2019t guard him,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s way more athletic than Kawhi Leonard and he\u2019s got handles. The only thing he can\u2019t do is shoot,\u201d Teague added.<\/p>\n

Defensive excellence already established<\/p>\n

Teague\u2019s comments carry weight given Thompson\u2019s defensive achievements after just his sophomore season. The young guard earned All-Defense Team selection, showcasing elite two-way potential.<\/p>\n

Thompson averaged 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game last season while successfully defending several NBA stars, including Stephen Curry<\/a>. His defensive versatility allows him to guard multiple positions effectively.<\/p>\n

His defensive impact already matches elite levels typically associated with established veterans. Thompson\u2019s ability to disrupt opposing offenses while contributing across statistical categories makes him valuable.<\/p>\n

\"AmenPhoto by Alex Slitz\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

However, offensive limitations remain obvious despite his defensive excellence<\/a>. Thompson\u2019s 14.1 points, 3.8 assists, and 8.2 rebounds don\u2019t qualify as elite NBA production yet.<\/p>\n

His shooting percentages create the biggest concern, particularly his sub-30% three-point accuracy that limits offensive spacing and effectiveness.<\/p>\n

If Thompson develops his offensive contributions through mentorship from players like Kevin Durant<\/a>, he could follow the trajectory toward becoming an elite two-way player similar to Leonard.<\/p>\n

Thompson\u2019s development timeline also aligns with Houston\u2019s competitive window, making his improvement crucial for the franchise\u2019s championship aspirations moving forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kawhi Leonard stands among the NBA\u2019s most athletic players, using his physical gifts on both ends of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51342,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[35035,49,48,8223,14728,459,82],"class_list":["post-51341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-amen-thompson","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-houston-rockets","tag-kawhi-leonard","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51341"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51341\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}