Manu Ginobili is a weapon that can swing a playoff series. The question is, can he still be that player in 2017? How much do the San Antonio Spurs need him?
Over the years, it’s been difficult to determine if players in the NBA perform better, worse or the same in the playoffs. Some players seem to raise their games, and the reputation of being a “playoff performer” is created.
In the case of a handful of players, it’s obvious. Guys like Robert Horry and Derek Fisher, for example, were role players who hit big shots for championship teams. It’s what they were known for, not their stats in the regular season.
But what of players who perform well in the regular season as well, but have still garnered extra respect for their play in the postseason? Good players who become even better when the stakes are higher?
The San Antonio Spurs have a great example of this in Manu Ginobili. His career scoring average is 13.6 points per game — a low number for someone with his reputation (many, like Dan Schultz of Bleacher Report argue that he has a strong Hall of Fame case).
That scoring average climbs to 14.7 in the playoffs, and includes many important shots and plays to win big games for the Spurs. This video claims to be his top three moments, but it doesn’t even include all of the plays he made in the 2005 NBA Playoffs, probably his best run individually.
So how does one put Ginobili’s play this season into context, with the playoffs just a few weeks away? He’s shooting a career-low 38 percent from the field, playing just under 19 minutes per game, and has not had a single 20-point game this year.
Sure, he’s past his prime, as anyone is, at the age of 39. After being the yin to Gregg Popovich’s yang for all these years, Ginobili doesn’t perplex defenses the way that he used to, take weird angles on his drives, or fling one handed bounce passes through defenders’ legs.
But get this, Manu is on all three of the Spur’s top five-man lineups in net rating this season, per Basketball-Reference.com. That’s two more than the BEST TWO-WAY PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE, Kawhi Leonard. The team just plays well with Ginobili in the game, and it isn’t totally clear why.
For his career, Ginobili has averaged just under 30 minutes a game in the playoffs, compared to 25 in the regular season. The man has always gotten the respect of great players, and is known as a competitor of the highest order. He has seemed like a different player this season, with his shot not falling, and the unpredictable style of yesteryear mostly gone. He still shows flashes, like this pass earlier this season that had everyone shaking their heads.
It remains to be seen how much Pop will use Ginobili in the playoffs. He always uses the regular season to see which lineup combinations he can trust, which he can’t, and who could match up well with certain teams when it counts.
All signs point to the Spurs being at their best when Manu is on the floor, despite his individual counting stats. He’s not a floor general in the traditional use of the word, but he’s the one of two players on the team that has won multiple championships in San Antonio (Tony Parker is the other one, if that wasn’t clear).
The reason guys like Davis Bertans, Jonathan Simmons, and Kyle Anderson seem so effective is because they take their cues from Ginobili and Parker. The offense runs through Kawhi and LaMarcus Aldridge, as they are the two best scorers on the team. But for the role players, they see how Manu and Tony run through the Spurs’ offense perfectly, making the right play every time, and follow suit.
Don’t be surprised when Pop is playing Ginobili more minutes come playoff time, and when Manu has a signature moment or game in the playoffs that seemingly turns the series. Everyone just wants to hear Spurs play-by-play man Bill Land give a spirited “OH Mama!” after Ginobili does the impossible.
Next: 10 Matchups We Want To See In The 2017 NBA Playoffs
As an NBA fan, appreciate Ginobili while the league still has him, because it doesn’t seem like that will be much longer.