Ranking the 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old
29. . PF. San Antonio Spurs. Tim Duncan. 18. player
The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 18. Tim Duncan, 2014-15 (38)
Tim Duncan is one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA, and famously known for his steady, no-frills nature. He was a constant for the franchise through three very different iterations, winning titles across a 15-year span.
He joined the San Antonio Spurs in the 1998-99 season and won two titles alongside David Robinson in a “two towers” approach. Then he was part of a three-headed attack including Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Finally, he became a lower usage defensive anchor as Kawhi Leonard and a collection of shooters joined the rotation for their final title.
By the 2014-15 season, a 38-year-old Tim Duncan led the Spurs in win shares for the final time with 9.6. His reduced minutes load in Gregg Popovich’s egalitarian, long-term vision system kept him from the top of the league statistical rankings, but he was top-10 in win shares per 48 and box plus/minus. He finished third in the league in defensive rating, seventh in block percentage and still inside the top-15 in rebound percentage.
In his second-to-last season Duncan was comfortable putting up just 10.6 shots per game, scoring 13.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and a solid 2.0 blocks. The Spurs’ 55 wins that season were only good enough for a sixth-place finish in the Western Conference that year despite being better than all but one Eastern Conference team, and Duncan and the Spurs went out in a wild seven-game series with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the LA Clippers.