MINNEAPOLIS -- Kawhi Leonard lofted a lob intended for Dewayne Dedmon that nearly rattled through the cylinder for a bucket during the third quarter of the San Antonio Spurs' 105-91 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

That's the type of almost-can't-miss night Leonard generated in racking up 31 points over three quarters, his sixth 30-point game of the season. To put it into perspective, Leonard produced four 30-point nights over the first five seasons of his career.

"By this point in his career, he's a confident player," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He knows he has a green light. We call his number now and then, but he does a lot of this stuff on his own, and he's getting pretty good at pick-and-roll. So he just advances his game every year a little bit in some different fashion, and tonight he did the same thing: pulled up, knocked down a couple 3s. He just has confidence that they're going to go. Special, special young man."

Leonard certainly showed it against the now 6-15 Timberwolves despite a sluggish start offensively.

"We're gonna keep going to him, and he knows that, too," shooting guard Danny Green said. "I guess at the beginning of the game, he kinds of finds a rhythm or kind of finds out what kind of night it's gonna be to adjust to what he needs to do, how the defense is playing. He's done a good job of that, pacing himself, not forcing it, kind of getting others involved at the same time, kind of keeping the defense off balance, keeping them honest; not just looking to score every time, but facilitating as well."

Kawhi Leonard had everything going on Tuesday, dropping 31 points on the Timberwolves. Brad Rempel/USA TODAY Sports

Leonard attempted only one shot in the first quarter and dished an assist as the Spurs finished the opening quarter trailing 22-19. Over the next three quarters, Leonard scored his 31 points on just 15 shots, knocking down 11, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range.

Despite all that production and Popovich's green light, Leonard insists he's still learning how to navigate the newfound freedom and his status as San Antonio's go-to player.

"I'm still trying to get my teammates involved more," Leonard said. "Having a green light doesn't mean you just shoot every possession. You just get the defense drawn to you, two guys, and pass it to the open man. I'm just learning through the double-teams, through people forcing me a certain way and help being there. Just still a process for me."

It's a process Leonard appears to be mastering. After all, just 22 games into the season, Leonard has produced the most 30-point games for the Spurs since 2012-13, when Tony Parker put together 10 such outings.

Against Minnesota, Leonard also became the first Spur since Tim Duncan in 2015 to score 30 points or more on 15 shots or fewer.

Nobody's surprised.

"No, we know what he's capable of from last year -- obviously, he had a big year last year -- pick-up games in the summertime in previous years and this year," Green said. "So he's started off the year very well, very hot. There's nothing he's done that we haven't seen already. Now it's kind of expected."

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Several of Leonard's buckets splashed through the nets on a fadeaway jumper eerily reminiscent of those knocked down over the years by Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.

Popovich refused to take it that far, saying, "We're not gonna go there."

Meanwhile, Leonard said he has worked on that fadeaway shot for years, which is probably why he's now nailing it with apparent ease.

"Just practicing, really," he said. "Being with [Spurs assistant] Chip [Engelland] and obviously [former Spurs assistant] Chad [Forcier]. I've been doing it for probably two years now. But now the team is coming more towards my way, you probably see it more in games. It's not just something that happened overnight. I've been at it since I first started playing with the Spurs. Now I have game experience under my belt. That's what you need in order to get better, get comfortable -- to see the ball go through the net in a game."