It doesn’t take Tim Duncan long to recount the most drawn-out conversation he has ever had with Kawhi Leonard.

“I don’t think it’s ever surpassed 10 or 15 seconds,” Duncan said.

The Spurs’ small forward, like Duncan before him, prefers to deal in deeds rather than words.

“He hasn’t said a whole lot since he’s been here,” Duncan said. “But he’s gone out there and put it on the floor and put up the numbers and helped us win games. When you do it like that, you earn people’s respect.”

Now Duncan is waiting for others in the NBA — particularly those with the whistles — to catch on.

In the past two years, Leonard has won an NBA Finals MVP award, a pair of Defensive Player of the Year trophies, has been named an All-Star starter and has emerged as a viable league MVP candidate.

Leonard, by any measure, is a bona fide star. Duncan says it is time for the 24-year-old to be treated as one.

More Information At a glance Game 1: Thunder @Spurs, 7:30 or 8:30 p.m. Saturday, TNT Game 2: Thunder @Spurs, 8:30 p.m. Monday, TNT

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“He’s gotten to the point now where people are being a lot more physical with him, but people are still being allowed to get away with a whole lot of stuff,” Duncan said. “That gets him fired up, and rightfully so.”

Indeed, Leonard has been more vocal that ever with officials this season, arguing his case when he feels as if he has been wronged.

It is about the only time the famously quiet Leonard will show emotion on the court.

Leonard is coming off a monster first-round series against Memphis, in which he averaged 21.5 points, 2.8 blocks and 2.8 steals, while hitting 61.1 percent of his 3-point tries in the Spurs’ sweep.

He is sure to be the centerpiece of the Spurs’ approach at both ends of the floor in a Western Conference semifinals series against high-powered Oklahoma City that opens Saturday at the AT&T Center.

Yet Duncan and other Spurs believe Leonard does not get the benefit of the doubt from officials that other NBA stars do.

Leonard averaged 4.6 free throws per game during the regular season, a figure that ranked most on the Spurs but tied for 30th league wide. He averaged 4.5 foul shots during the Memphis series.

“He’s trying to earn the respect of opponents, officials and everything else,” Duncan said.

Not exactly a cornrowed Rodney Dangerfield, Leonard clearly owns the respect of opposing teams and coaches.

More and more, Leonard — who averaged a team-best 21.1 points per game during the regular season — has found himself in the crosshairs of another team’s defensive game plan.

“He’s getting double-teamed now, and that’s a whole different ballgame,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s learning, ‘When do I try to score? When am I in a crowd? When do I let it go?’ All those decisions.”

Leonard seems unfazed by that part of his transition.

“It’s been great,” Leonard said. “This is what you work for. This is what I’ve been striving to do.”

The added attention Leonard receives from opposing defenses had resulted in a modest uptick in the frequency of his trips to the foul line.

He averaged 5.1 attempts per 36 minutes in the regular season, compared to 4.1 in 2014-15.

Some Spurs — Duncan among them — believe that number should be higher.

Popovich has steered clear of the question, saying he gets “fined enough for technicals” to comment on officiating.

Leonard likewise seems disinclined to politic his position through the media.

“I don’t even think about it, really,” Leonard said. “I’m not playing to get fouls.”

Free-throw shooting could be an underrated metric in the series against the Thunder.

The Spurs averaged 20.4 per game during the regular season, the third-fewest in the NBA. That’s not surprising for a team that also attempted more mid-range jump shots than any team in the league.

The Thunder by contrast earned 25.2 free throws a night, seventh in the league. Two OKC players ranked in the top 11 among individuals — Russell Westbrook at 7.2 free throws per game and Kevin Durant at 6.9.

Perhaps that part of Leonard’s game will come in time.

Duncan believes it will, as soon as referees become more familiar with the things Leonard can do.

“It’s part of learning the game and part of gaining other people’s respect and the league’s respect,” Duncan said.

jmcdonald@express-news.net