How Good Is/Was Manu Ginobili?
Every single year NBA players retire. The majority of them we do not seem to think about, but there are the rare exceptions. Last season, there was a strong feeling that we had seen the last of Manu Ginobili in the NBA. After all, he was 39 and had played in the NBA for 15 seasons. He had won 4 titles and is without a doubt one of the 5 best two guards to ever play the game. He has had an interesting career that does not look like the two guards that surround him on the list, but make no mistake he belongs with them. He decided to return for a 16th season to further an amazing career.
On Friday December 8th, the Boston Celtics traveled to San Antonio for a game with the Spurs. The Celtics came in with the best record in the NBA. It was a great game. Late in the game, it was tied at 102 with under one minute left. The Spurs got an open 3 for Rudy Gay that missed, and Manu Ginobili came up with the rebound, dribbled it out to the top with about 26 seconds left, and then this happened:
Just 8 days later, Manu struck again.
What will the legacy of Manu Ginobili be? The version that you see in the videos above is the 40 year old edition of Ginobili , still contributing to a winning team with craftiness and competitive spirit. At his peak, he was a destructive force on both ends of the court for some really good Spurs teams that are often overlooked. He helped the Spurs win 4 of their 5 championships but I cannot shake the feeling that Manu Ginobili, one of the best two guards to ever play, will not get the due he deserves for various reasons.
The biggest reason being that the majority of his time in the NBA has been as a player off of the bench. He has only started 349 of a possible 1019 regular season games. When you get to the playoffs, that number is 53 out of a possible 213. This obviously means that his stats are not what you may find from other “superstars.” He has never averaged over 20 points per game in the regular season. His career high is 19.5 points per game in the 2007–08 season. His career high for shot attempts per game also happened during that season at 13.3.
Many will point to these numbers as strikes against Manu Ginobili, but he was never asked to shoot 25 times per game and that was not the type of player that Manu was or is. So many times we hear the word competitive to describe guys that want to win so badly that they have a hard time trusting other players (with shots especially). There are so many stories of Micheal Jordan berating teammates to make sure that they had what it took to help him win. The same goes for a Kobe Bryant. With Manu, his competitiveness seemed to be just as obsessive with an interesting exception. He seemed to understand that, in order to win, he needed those other guys to be very involved.
Manu’s ability to score in a multitude of ways should end any discussions about his ability as an offensive player. He was unorthodox and did things that no one had ever seen. He was a great shooter, an aggressive finisher, and possessed out of this world passing. Manu Ginobili might be the best passing two guard in the history of the game. In terms of being an aggressive finisher, Manu is underrated as a scorer at the basket and he was relentless in attacking. Looking at his shooting numbers, he never shot a great deal of mid range shots. Over 42% of his career field goal attempts came within 10 feet of the basket, and he finished those shots at a high percentage. As a 36 year old in 2013–14, he shot 30% of his shots at the rim and finished 72% of those shots.
Watching the Spurs play has always been amazing to me. They were the epitome of basketball. The 2014 Spurs are without a doubt my favorite team to watch. The passing of all 5 of their players was a huge part of that. Manu’s ability to see plays develop and make amazing passes is second to none. It sets him apart as an offensive player.
Manu’s legacy as a player in the NBA will be of a guy that played on some great Spurs teams and won a great deal of the games that he played in, never missing the playoffs. He won a European League Championship before coming to the NBA and then won 4 championships during his time in the NBA. He also helped his home country Argentina win a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics. He was a winner who placed wins above all else.
It is easy to say that you care about winning, but how can you watch guys like Kobe Bryant or Allen Iverson and come away with that feeling? Both were great scorers, but Kobe Bryant was terrible for the Lakers during his final years. He refused to change his game. As a 37 year old in his final season in the league, Kobe led the team in shots even though he did not play 30 minutes per game. His 16.9 shots per game are three more than Manu’s career high.
Is Manu Ginobili the best two guard to ever play? No. Is Manu Ginobili one of the 5 best two guards to play? Yes, without any hesitation. There is no argument you could make that would change my thinking. His ability to score, pass, and defend makes him a superstar that was willing to accept a role off the bench. While high volume scorers should not be faulted for their style of play, Manu should not be faulted for his choice to sacrifice for the team. Looking solely at the skill of the players, there is no way that you can name off too many two guards without saying Ginobili. Another thing to consider is that he is still playing at a relatively high level for someone that is 40 years old. As evidenced by the clips above, the Spurs still count on him.
The Spurs more than likely will not win another title, but I am looking forward to watching more Manu Ginobili. He continues to amaze and is a great example of a competitor that uses his teammates to help him achieve his goals. Basketball is a great game. While I do not fault anyone that loves the individual brilliance of amazing scorers, my appreciation is for players that can do it all. Players that can win games for their teams without scoring a bucket. Manu Ginobili is one of those players , and he is worthy of a superstar’s legacy.
All stats courtesty of basketball-reference.com
