San Antonio Spurs: Revolutionizing The Game – Part 2

Since 1997, the San Antonio Spurs have relied on their franchise player, Tim Duncan, to be one of the greatest franchises the league has ever seen. He’s been one of the steadiest and most reliable players with virtually no drop-off in his production per 36 minutes throughout his career, and shows no signs of slowing down, even now in his 18^th season. While one can argue that the Spurs wouldn’t have any of their five championships without Duncan, the great teams that they’ve assembled around him with players overlooked by other teams have allowed them to be contenders for the better part of two decades.

Tony Parker

Parker was the 28^th pick in the 2001 draft and he’s been the most valuable player behind Tim Duncan in the Spurs’ big three era. His career averages of 17 points and six assists per game don’t jump off the page but his effiiency and his ability to finish in the paint for a 6’2″ point guard is amazing. He’s consistently been among the league leaders in points in the paint among guards and doesn’t look like he’s slowing down in his 14^th season. He’s also vastly improved his free throw and three-point shooting in the last couple seasons and like Duncan, seems to be aging like fine wine.

Manu Ginobili

After Ginobili’s first couple seasons in the NBA, 29 other teams must have been kicking themselves for not picking him. He was another player no one knew much about and teams had doubts whether he could succeed in the NBA. His Euroleague championship and his international success didn’t stand out. The Spurs must have not thought much of him either, picking him with the 57^th pick and at age 37, he still has the ability to take over games for stretches.

Kawhi Leonard

The Indiana Pacers drafted Kawhi Leonard with the 15^th pick in the 2011 draft and traded him to the Spurs for George Hill. With the emergence of Paul George, and the need for a point guard, the Pacers thought this would be a great move. The Spurs already had Tony Parker and knowing what a skilled physical specimen Leonard was, jumped on the opportunity to trade for him.

Leonard isn’t known for being a high jumper but his wingspan and massive hands are what make him great defensively. He was a great rebounder and good scorer in his two seasons at San Diego State University and many people thought he should have been a top-10 pick. The Eastern Conference can thank the Spurs for taking Leonard off the Pacers’ hands since a Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Roy Hibbert trio would’ve been a force for years to come.

Boris Diaw

Even though Diaw has had some great seasons in Phoenix, teams may have forgotten how good Diaw really was. He was upset with all the losing in his recent seasons with Charlotte and didn’t stay in shape before ultimately being waived and joining the Spurs.

With his ability to run an offense from any position, Diaw has been the ultimate glue-guy for a team that already had great passers. The Spurs were so impressed by his impact on their team in their championship run that they locked the 32 year-old up to a three year contract. As Diaw gets older, the Spurs have even drafted the perfect point forward to be Diaw’s successor, Kyle Anderson, who has drawn comparisons to Magic Johnson.

Diaw and only 10 other players have ever averaged 13 points, six rebounds, six assists and shot 50 percent from the field in the history of the NBA, per Basketball-Reference.com:

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/24/2014.

The Spurs have even more under-the-radar players on their team. Matt Bonner, Patty Mills, Danny Green and Tiago Splitter have all been key contributors to the Spurs and have made a home with San Antonio.

As a team in a small market, the Spurs have shown that they can be a perennial contender with their shrewd front office moves.

Next: San Antonio Spurs: Revolutionizing The Game, Part 1