MILWAUKEE—Mike Budenholzer remembers a young Kawhi Leonard from their short time together with the San Antonio Spurs, but this Kawhi Leonard is not that Kawhi Leonard, so the Milwaukee Bucks head coach is not putting much emphasis on that relationship.
“He’s grown and evolved and just obviously one of the elite players in our league,” Budenholzer said here Tuesday, after the Bucks practised at their spanking new downtown facility. “He was great when he was in San Antonio, but it’s been a long time ago that I was there. (I) know him a little bit, appreciate and respect him, but I don’t think it has much bearing on preparing or getting us ready.