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Spurs turn keys over to Leonard this summer

Kawhi Leonard of the Spurs is doing his best to expand his game during the Las Vegas summer league. TOM REEL / EXPRESS-NEWS

LAS VEGAS — For Kawhi Leonard, it didn’t take long for the memories to come flooding back Tuesday.

Out the locker-room door, past the framed photos of UNLV greats, hang a right down the tunnel, and suddenly he was back on the floor at Thomas Mack Arena, reliving a moment from his past.

As an All-American at San Diego State, Leonard played in Las Vegas on numerous occasions, most recently in the Mountain West conference tournament his Aztecs won in 2011.

“Walking through the tunnel and looking at those pictures brought some memories back,” said Leonard, now a second-year small forward and the undisputed leader of the Spurs’ summer-league team.

Then, Leonard did something seldom seen during his All-Rookie first season in the NBA.

He smiled.

The goal for Leonard this week has been to channel his inner Aztec. So far, so good.

Handed the reins of the Spurs’ summer squad and instructed to be The Man, the newly turned 21-year-old has responded by averaging 25 points in the first two games.

Leonard had 27 in Tuesday’s 92-81 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, using an array of scoring moves last seen at San Diego State.

“This is the time to test drive a little bit,” summer league coach Jacque Vaughn said. “Get him out there and put him in positions he normally doesn’t get a chance to be in, and see if we can see a little growth.”

That means a steady diet of pick-and-rolls, with Leonard as the trigger man. It means pulling up and shooting off screens. Occasionally over the past two games, Vaughn has called Leonard’s number in the block, with post-ups and pin-downs.

None of that happened in the regular season, when Leonard found his way to 7.9 points per game without the Spurs ever calling a play for him.

“It’s a big difference,” Leonard said. “I was standing up, spotting up (during the season). I’m learning to shoot off the dribble, coming off ball screens. I’m trying to get my ball handling better. Also, I’ve got to learn how to pass. I’ve been working on all that.”

It is obvious that Leonard’s growth has been the Spurs’ pet project in Las Vegas. On more than one occasion, coach Gregg Popovich — usually content to sit back and observe summer league proceedings — could be seen engaged in a lengthy one-on-one with Leonard.

“We want him to rebound it and push it up the floor himself,” Popovich said. “We want to get it thrown ahead to him and have him go attack the rim. We want to put him in pick-and-rolls and let him make decisions, so he expands his game.

“He’s going to be a good one. We don’t want him to just be a spot-up shooter in the corner.”

That’s good to hear, Leonard said.

“I don’t want to be a stand-in-the-corner guy my whole career,” he added. “I’d like to take control of the game, and be a focal point to help my team win.”

During one breathless stretch of the first half Tuesday, Leonard unpacked his entire bag of tricks.

He took his man off the dribble, from midcourt line to rim. He grabbed a rebound at one end and took the ball 90 feet for a finger roll at the other.

When Leonard crossed over a pick late in the first half and rose to drill a contested 3-pointer near the top of the arc, even his summer-league teammates were impressed.

“He kind of showed everybody a little bit of what he can do,” guard James Anderson said.

There’s no telling how many of these new skills Leonard might bring with him back to San Antonio.

Certainly, he’ll see fewer chances to handle the ball once he rejoins a backcourt with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili in it.

For now, Leonard is enjoying his time in Vegas, where the good memories run deep and he is once again the go-to guy.

By pulling a page from his past, Leonard is preparing for his future.

No amnesty for Spurs: The Spurs have opted not to exercise their so-called “amnesty” provision for this season.

Per the latest collective bargaining agreement of last December, teams are allowed to waive one player who was on their roster last summer, without his salary counting against the cap.

Teams that did not use it for last season faced a Tuesday deadline to trigger it for 2012-13. Those teams, like the Spurs, who have yet to use the amnesty provision can roll it over throughout the life of the CBA.

jmcdonald@express-news.net

Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN

Admiral commands Texans’ attention

HOUSTON — Former Spurs great David Robinson visited the Houston Texans’ morning practice. He seemed to be doing more interviews than the players.

“My son’s a football player (Corey Robinson, at San Antonio Christian), so I’m trying to get him some exposure to excellence, get him to see what it takes to be at this level,” Robinson said. “This was certainly an eye-opening day for him, watching how these receivers and these d-backs go at it and how the game is played so tight.

“It was great. Obviously, they had a great year last year, and they just needed to get over the hump a little bit. It’s a great group of guys. Physically, they look good. I think they’ll be just as strong as they were last year.”

After practice, players took pictures with Robinson.

“It makes me feel like the old guy,” he said. “It’s phenomenal.They were very respectful and great guys, and to see that they think highly of me is a wonderful blessing,” he said.

Robinson has become a Texans fan.

“I’m trying to figure out what team I want to root for because my wife is from Chicago, so she’s a Bears fan,” Robinson said. “Every year I’ve been picking different teams, but this year I’m going to be a Texans (fan).

“I have a (David) Carr jersey at home from a couple years ago, but now I’m going to have to get another jersey and be a Texans fan.”

— John McClain, Houston Chronicle

Former Spurs center David Robinson, center, watches practice during Houston Texans training camp at the Methodist Training Center Sunday, July 29, 2012, in Houston. (Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle)

Former Spurs center David Robinson, left, and Houston Texans running back Ben Tate (44) share a laugh after taking a photo together at the end of practice during Texans training camp at the Methodist Training Center Sunday, July 29, 2012, in Houston. (Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle)

Summer League Game 1: Where Kawhi Leonard has college flashbacks

LAS VEGAS — Kawhi Leonard has spent so much time in Sin City this month, he might as well be David Copperfield.

First, it  was a week with the U.S. Select team, scrimmaging against the All-Stars and future Hall of Famers who will make up the country’s Olympic squad in London.

This week, he’s returned  to Vegas with a different role and a different goal. He’s is the undisputed go-to guy of the Spurs’ summer league squad, which kicked off a five-game slate with an 82-76 victory over Atlanta Sunday night with Leonard as the ringleader.

Leonard had 23 points in the win, but it was the way he got them that was most notable. Handling the ball in pick-and-rolls, driving to the basket, creating for himself and occasionally for others, Leonard scored 13 of his points in the fourth quarter to help his team seal up the victory.

For a while, the second-year small forward felt like he was back at San Diego State.

“I’m getting a little feel back for what I know,” Leonard said.

During an All-Rookie campaign, Leonard got most of his points on 3-pointers and cleaning up put-backs around the rim. He got none of them that way in Sunday’s opener.

Spurs coaches arrived here with the idea of pushing Leonard past his comfort zone, putting the ball in his hands often and forcing him to create off pick and rolls. Summer league coach Jacque Vaughn called Leonard’s number often down the stretch, and occasionally ran post-up plays and pin downs for him as well.

“”It’s a big difference,” Leonard said. “I was standing up, spotting up (in the regular season). I’m learning to shoot off the dribble, coming off ball screens. I’m trying to get my ball handling better. Also, I’ve got to learn how to pass. I’ve been working on all that.”

The fourth quarter was a sight to behold. At one point, Leonard picked his way for seven straight points. The jewel was a stunning cross-over that left Atlanta’s Frank Hassell flailing and the Cox Pavilion crowd ooing. Leonard finished that drive with a bucket and a foul.

“This is the time to test drive a little bit, which is fun,” Vaughn said. “Get him out there and put him in position he normally doesn’t get a chance to be in. Pick and roll, posting up a little bit. See if we can see a little growth.”

Leonard passed the test Sunday, albeit against lesser competition than he will see once his second NBA season opens in October. But it was a start.

Other thoughts and impressions from Game 1:

* Cory Joseph shook off a shaky start to turn in a solid game as the Spurs’ starting point guard. He finished with 18 points — including 14 in the first half when the Spurs’ offense ran through him — to go with four assists and five rebounds. After committing two turnovers on the Spurs’ first three possessions, Joseph had none the rest of the way. “Cory was real aggressive to start out with,” shooting guard James Anderson said. “Probably the most aggressive I’ve seen him. He attacked.”

* Anderson signed up to play with the Spurs summer leaguers even though the team declined to pick up his contract option for next season. He is an unrestricted free agent, auditioning for all the other teams in attendance.

“I just came out here to show what I can do,” said Anderson, the 20th overall pick out of Oklahoma State in 2010. “It doesn’t matter which team you’re on. All the coaches are here. They’ll see what you can do on both ends.”

Anderson would like to return to the Spurs — “Who wouldn’t?”, he said — but understands that with 14 players already under contract for next season, the numbers are working against him.

* Marcus Denmon, the Spurs’ only draft pick this year (taken 59th overall), logged 11 minutes off the bench. Playing mostly shooting guard, with a little point mixed in, the Missouri alum scored three points and had two assists. He showed a nice ability to create on a drive in the first half, when he found Tyler Wilkerson for a layup just before the shot-clock horn blared.

* Though the Spurs might still be looking to add a big man after missing out on Slovenian shooter Erazem Lorbek, Alexis Ajinca took a DNP against the Hawks. With three years of NBA service time, the 7-foot-2 Ajinca is by that measure the most experienced of the Spurs’ summer leaguers. It would not be surprising to see him get some extended run before the week over.

Against the Hawks, the Spurs’ best big man was Eric Dawson, the former Sam Houston High grad who enjoyed a sip of coffee with the Spurs last season. He finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds in 30 minutes.