Greatest unsung hero in every NBA team’s history

San Antonio Spurs: Bruce Bowen

See that smug look on Bruce Bowen’s face? That’s the look of a man who probably knows that he’s a dirty player and doesn’t care. But would that make him an unsung hero or a villain?

Aside from his, uh, let’s just say unconventional style of play, fans know Bowen from his time with the San Antonio Spurs, who were often considered one of the most boring teams to watch in the NBA. That sort of thing tends to happen when your superstar player has a nickname like “The Big Fundamental”.

For his part, Bowen spent most offensive possessions standing somewhere behind the 3-point line, waiting to take advantage of a defender that paid a little too much attention to Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili or Tony Parker.

To give Bowen credit, he often cashed in when his number was called. In eight seasons with the Spurs, Bowen made 40.5 percent of his 3-point attempts. He didn’t do much else offensively outside of that. However with Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker, that’s all they needed from him.

Bowen’s true value showed up on the defensive end. Of his 35.2 win shares with the Spurs, 27 of them were defensive and he also holds a 1.9 defensive box plus/minus with the team. He engaged in many battles with many of the NBA’s premier scorers in his era, particularly Kobe Bryant. By hook or crook, Bowen was often able to at least slow down his assignment.

While he may not like carrying the dirty moniker, Bowen has done more than enough to earn the title. I’m sure that if you caught him in an honest moment, he would probably admit that he didn’t always do everything by the book.

But there was a method to his madness. He did make eight All-NBA Defensive teams, as he gave the Spurs a reliable 3-and-D wing during the peak of the Gregg Popovich era in San Antonio.