The 75 greatest NBA players of the 2010s, ranked

38) Manu Ginobili

Although he was 32 years old at the start of the 2010s, San Antonio Spurs legend Manu Ginobili still managed to play nine seasons at a high level. Ginobili got off to a strong start by averaging 17 points, 4.9 assists, and 1.5 steals over the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons as the Spurs transitioned away from the post-centric offense that featured Tim Duncan. 

With Ginobili and Parker running the show, they were able to move seamlessly into a new era that relied more on pick-and-roll and drives to the rim than having one player operate in the low post. It worked out well. The Spurs won 61 games during the 2010–11 season, though they were upset during the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Memphis Grizzlies. 

That turned out to be for the best since it forced the Spurs to make a drastic move that resulted in them trading for the draft rights to Kawhi Leonard. That ironically left them thin at guard during the 2011–12 season, especially when Ginobili went down.

That led to the emergence of Danny Green, who allowed the Spurs to bring Ginobili off the bench for the final six seasons of his career. It also helped the Spurs extend their title window and he was crucial to them winning a championship in 2014.

Over nine seasons during the 2010s, he made an all-star team and an All-NBA team and posted an impressive 12.1 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists in just 23.5 minutes per game in 579 games. That is the equivalent of 18.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per 36 minutes, showing that he was a terrific player even though his regular stats understate his impact.