It’s been a while since the Phoenix Suns were a competitive team in the NBA. They’ve struggled to put together a competitive squad even though they’ve had their fair share of first-round picks. Still, it seems like their executives always find ways to mess things up.
That’s exactly what happened back in 2011 when they were entitled to the 13th overall pick and had the chance to draft Kawhi Leonard. Obviously, he wasn’t the two-way stud he is nowadays and nobody – not even Gregg Popovich – could see him turn into the best defender in the league but he was still a pretty solid player.
The Suns, however, were less than impressed by his lack of perimeter shot, but that wasn’t the main reason why they decided to pass on him come draft night.
According to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, then-General Manager Lance Blanks wasn’t sold on Leonard because of how nervous he looked and how much he sweated his suit during their interview, crazy as it may seem:
“But with a front office conducting its first draft in Phoenix, then-General Manager Lance Blanks’ staff did not have Leonard in the discussion. Part of the Suns’ knock-on Leonard, beyond his perimeter shot, was how nervously he acted in a draft combine interview, when he sweated through his suit,” Coro reported.
Kawhi has always been known for his introvert personality and it’s normal to see him struggle with NBA executives in front of him. That’s no reason to punish him. Still, general managers often view those intangibles as potential deal-breakers.
The Suns ended up taking Markieff Morris while Leonard slipped a couple of spots and fell into the Indiana Pacers’ lap at 15. They immediately traded him to the San Antonio Spurs for George Hill and the rest, as you may know by now, is history.
