What Can San Antonio Spurs Expect from Manu Ginobili in 2015-16 NBA Season?

The San Antonio Spurs desperately needed Manu Ginobili to return for another season, and the veteran shooting guard will indeed play his 14th year with the franchise.

On July 6, he announced his return, eventually agreeing to a two-year deal worth $5.7 million that also contains a player option after the upcoming campaign, per Shams Charania of RealGM.

Quiet celebration ensued, since the team had recently secured a commitment from prized free agent LaMarcus Aldridge. All of the Spurs—Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Ginobili—were coming back.

Once the confetti cleared, though, reality slowly started to trickle back in. Ginobili has battled inconsistency throughout his career, and it's steadily getting worse. While some issues can be attributed to unsuccessful creativity, at this point, the 37-year-old offers more mediocre games than solid performances.

"Ginobili struggles to get around defenders," Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News said in late April. "He struggles to finish at the rim. And, as one in the league said Tuesday, he struggles to have 'one good game out of eight.'"

The Spurs should temper their expectations. There's no doubt about that.

Ginobili isn't a tremendous three-point shooter, and that hasn't changed much throughout the three most recent seasons. The lefty dropped from 35.3 percent in 2012-13 to 34.9 to 34.5 last year, so the Spurs know Ginobili will make one of three triples on a given night.

Last season, his offensive rating dropped to a career-low 103, and Ginobili committed a career-worst 3.5 turnovers per 36 minutes, per Basketball-Reference.com. In other words, while the sixth man's usage rate is falling, his giveaway percentage is rising.

But thanks to one veteran's desire for a championship ring and rising superstars in the starting lineup, a resurgent year for Ginobili—during what could be his final NBA campaign—is feasible.

San Antonio's pursuit of Aldridge meant it couldn't afford to re-sign Cory Joseph, Marco Belinelli or Aron Baynes. Each reserve received a yearly average salary of at least $6 million. However, the Spurs lucked out when David West was willing to sacrifice a $12 million payday in order to join a contender on a minimum contract.

Brandon Dill/Associated Press/Associated Press

The second unit's collective defense might struggle initially, but West is a significant scoring upgrade over Baynes. West will have the freedom to shoot mid-range jumpers, which should open extra room for Ginobili to operate.

Although Patty Mills is the backup point guard, Ginobili is the go-to ball-handler in the second unit. The crafty Argentine is better at creating for himself and for others off the dribble, something Mills struggles to accomplish on a repeated basis.

Ginobili can initiate the San Antonio offense by attacking screens set by either West or Boris Diaw, then look for Mills behind the three-point line as well as the wing-to-be-named-later—perhaps Kyle Anderson, maybe Jonathon Simmons—or continue toward the rim.

Ginobili will be responsible for properly and efficiently utilizing those weapons. He tallied 10.5 points and 4.2 assists per game in 2014-15, and the Spurs should expect similar numbers next season.

Of course, he'll still light up the net on occasion, just like last year.

A small drop in box-score numbers wouldn't be a shock, though. Leonard and Aldridge presumably will receive a few extra minutes more than head coach Gregg Popovich has normally allocated to San Antonio's stars since 2011, and the duo will occupy larger and ever-increasing offensive roles.

Plus, Ginobili will probably defer to the duo more often than he has to other Spurs in recent seasons. Leonard and Aldridge are unquestionably the top players, and Ginobili can give up the ball to let his teammates take control of the game.

After 13 years of contributing as a primary weapon, Ginobili might not mind stepping out of the spotlight, anyway. San Antonio is deep, so Ginobili doesn't need to be a hero.

He's a much-needed stopgap, because capable NBA-caliber ball-handlers don't grow on trees. San Antonio won't receive a world-class effort out of him every night; it's not going to happen.

Ginobili will be a serviceable backup who typically doesn't run the proverbial train off the tracks. And for a Spurs team that has stacked its roster with even more talent, that's what's most important.

Follow Bleacher Report NBA writer David Kenyon on Twitter: @Kenyon19_BR.