Ranking the Top 10 Most Underrated San Antonio Spurs Players of the Past Decade
The San Antonio Spurs have consistently been one of the NBA's most overlooked teams, largely avoiding national attention and criticism while compiling a variety of regular season and playoff successes.
Underrated players have helped lift the franchise to 50-win campaigns throughout the entire past decade, and the Spurs have won three championships since 2004-05.
Individual performances in years prior to the previous 10 may be referenced but are not included in determining the rankings.
Note: All stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference unless otherwise noted.
10. Malik Rose, Power Forward
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A list of underrated Spurs would not feel complete without Malik Rose, but he slides in at No. 10 because 2004-05 marked his final partial campaign with the team.
Rose was shipped to the New York Knicks in Feb. 2005 but played 17.2 minutes per night. In those minutes, Rose tallied 6.3 points and 4.5 rebounds as a notable frontcourt reserve for San Antonio.
The power forward accrued 18.7 defensive win shares throughout eight seasons with the franchise, which ranks No. 9 in the all-time record book.
9. Matt Bonner, Power Forward
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If a player isn't a starter, he needs to remember his role. That's exactly what Matt Bonner has done since joining the Spurs in a June 2006 trade, amassing 595 triples over the last eight seasons.
During the 2010-11 campaign, the 6'10" sharpshooter led the league in three-point shooting after knocking down 45.7 percent of his attempts.
His career 41.7 clip from distance is the 14th-best ever. That's notย just among active playersโever.
Bonner is rarely a significant postseason threat, but he has been a notable piece of San Antonio's system that emphasizes resting its stars so they are ready for the playoffs.
Plus, the Red Mamba has two rings to show for his contributions, and that's not a terrible deal.
8. George Hill, Point Guard
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George Hill was selected with the 26th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, and he immediately complemented the superstar combo of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
The IUPUI product appeared in 231 games with San Antonio, registering 9.9 points, 2.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 0.8 steals while serving as a top-seven player in the rotation.
Many Spurs fans would have loved to see Hill developed in the system and take over for Parker, but San Antonioย traded him for a small forward named Kawhi Leonard.
Of course, that draft-day trade in 2011 has turned out relatively well.
7. Fabricio Oberto, Center
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The Spurs gave Fabricio Oberto his first NBA opportunity, signing the 31-year-old during the summer of 2005.ย He began playing professionally overseas in 1993, so he was certainly one of the most experienced rookies the league had ever seen.
A teammate of Ginobili's for international competition with Argentina, Oberto completed four seasons as a member of the Spurs.ย The center was a significant part of San Antonio's 2006-07 championship campaign and totaled 97 starts throughout 161 games the following year.
Oberto may have only managed 4.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists per outing those two years, but the center had a penchant for staying in the proper position and keeping the offense flowing.
6. Michael Finley, Shooting Guard
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After spending nine seasons as a featured scorer for the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, Michael Finley settled into a backup role with San Antonio.
Throughout his first two regular seasons, he was the first or second player off the bench, occasionally splitting starting duties with Ginobili and Brent Barry.ย However, Finley started all 20 games during the 2007 postseason, netting a league-high 44 three-pointers en route to his lone championship ring.
Finley achieved his career-best mark from beyond the arc while donning silver and black, draining 41.1 percent in 2009.
5. Boris Diaw, Power Forward
6 of 10Boris Diawย is a household name in the NBA realm nowadays, but take a minute to remember his past.
In March 2012, Diaw was cut by the Charlotte Bobcatsโthe worst team in the league at the time. What's thatย supposed to say about a player? He's seen the last of a professional career.
However, the Spurs picked up the overweight power forward and slowly turned him into a dangerous asset, utilizing his long-forgotten range and outstanding vision as a passer. More impressively, he became a cagey defender, something he had never been known for at any level of pro basketball.
Diaw was one of San Antonio's most important players last season, and his plus-74 rating during the finals perfectly resembled his impact on the series.
4. Robert Horry, Power Forward
7 of 10Sometimes better known as "Big Shot Rob," Robert Horry signed with the Spurs in July 2003 and was an essential part of the team's 2005 championship. He knocked down a handful of clutch shots against the Detroit Pistons in Game 5 of the finals, giving San Antonio a crucial 3-2 series lead.
Horry nailed a career-best 44.7 percent of his attempts from distance during those playoffs, scoring 9.3 points per night, which was his best postseason mark as a backup.
Though he was more of a seventh or eighth man in the following years, Horry added a seventh career ring in 2007. But without his heroics two seasons earlier, San Antonio likely doesn't topple Detroit to earn title No. 3.
3. Tiago Splitter, Center
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Tiago Splitter isย currently one of the more underrated centers in the league, providing stout defense and rebounding in the Tim Duncan-led frontcourt.
But he also makes the most of his limited shot attempts. To this date, the Brazilian holds the second-best field-goal mark in franchise history at 56.1 percent.
Splitter has improved immensely at the charity stripe, raising his clip from 54.3 as a rookie to 70.3 over the last two seasons.
Considering the Oklahoma City Thunder employed the "hack-a-player" strategy in 2012โand it worked decently wellโthat personal upgrade is important because one-fourth of his points come at the line.
According to HoopsHype, Splitter has three years and $26 million left on his contract, and he should make a strong push for the No. 2 spot on this list by the time 2017 arrives.
2. Brent Barry, Shooting Guard
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A free agent signing in July 2004, Brent Barry spent four of his final five NBA seasons with San Antonio and was a member of two championship teams.
He left his markย playing alongside Manu Ginobili in the second unit, contributing as a reliable ball-handler and solid three-point shooter. Barry committed just 0.7 turnovers per night while knocking down 38.2 percent from distance.
The former first-round pick's most efficient season came in 2006-07, where he posted a 16.6 PER in addition to 126 offensive and 102 defensive ratings, respectively.ย His career 121 offensive rating remains the top mark in the San Antonio record book.
1. Bruce Bowen, Small Forward
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Bruce Bowen started his first 555 games on the San Antonio roster, being a part of three total championships.
He logged a combined average of 35 minutes per outing during the title-winning '05 and '07 postseasons, where his defensive prowess was on full display.ย
Bowen was a lockdown defender in the most elite sense of the phrase, earning first-team NBA All-Defensive honors in his final five seasons as a starter.
Offensively, the Cal State Fullerton product found a home in the corner, connecting on 43.5 percent of his career triples.ย Bowen buried the second-most three-pointers in franchise history.
Two years ago, he received the ultimate honor when the Spursย retired his No. 12 jersey, recognizing the most underrated player in San Antonio history.
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