Pau Gasol knows what he's talking about when he compares players to former Los Angeles Lakers star and five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant.

The talented center, who won two titles with Kobe as a member of the Lakers, may have been the Black Mamba's favorite sidekick during his career, as stints playing with Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard ended in bitter feuds.

Though Gasol and Bryant didn't always see eye-to-eye (nobody ever did with Kobe, though), the 7'0" big man was an important piece during the Lakers' 2009 and 2010 title runs.

So, when Gasol says he sees some of the same traits in current San Antonio Spurs teammate Kawhi Leonard - as he did on a conference call on Friday morning - it carries extra weight. Gasol said Leonard's similarities to Kobe start with the young forward's work ethic:

“He’s a guy that puts in the work," Gasol said. "He has a tremendous hunger to compete and competes at both ends. He’s an exceptional, exceptional player. Along those lines, there are similarities with Kobe. Kobe has been a dominant player for so long, and Kawhi is just starting to be a dominant player on both ends."

Though Gasol - who is in his first year with the Spurs - has only been around Leonard this season, he's clearly watched as the 25-year-old has blossomed into one of the league's best all-around stars since playing a huge role on San Antonio's 2014 championship-winning squad.

This year, as a part-time starter and valuable bench player for the Spurs, Gasol is averaging 12.4 points and 7.8 rebounds in 25.4 minutes per game, while Leonard is putting up 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists a night.

As San Antonio, the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, prepares to host the No. 7 seed Memphis Grizzlies in a first-round matchup, Gasol said he hopes to be able to support his star teammate any way he can for what he thinks will be a long playoff run:

"I’m just happy I can be with a teammate like Kawhi," he said. "Having a guy like that gives you a chance to win every night and that’s what we’re hoping to do in the playoffs.”

The Spurs finished with a regular-season record of 61-21 - six games behind the NBA-best 67-15 Golden State Warriors for the No. 1 seed in the West. 

If Leonard, Gasol and the Spurs are going to get past the Warriors to make it to the NBA Finals, Leonard is going to have to channel even more of his inner Kobe. If he can do that in the coming months, the rest of the league should be very afraid of what the Spurs can accomplish.

The NBA Playoffs 2017 begin on Saturday, 15th April. You can follow all the action live on BT Sport or via NBA LEAGUE PASS at www.nba.tv.