San Antonio Spurs: Ranking Each Spur's Performance Compared To Preseason Hype
About six months ago, the NBA preseason games began with all eyes on only a handful of teams, specifically the defending-champion Los Angeles Lakers, star-studded Miami Heat, and tough-as-nails Boston Celtics.
It was determined that these were the only true contenders in the league. It was assumed that young, promising teams like the Chicago Bulls, who have clinched the East's top seed, needed another year or two to grow.
It was also assumed that old, worn-out teams like the San Antonio Spurs could no longer compete against the studs of the league. Those doubters have been proven wrong, at least for the regular season.
With two games left before the playoffs begin and the top seed in the West already clinched, the time has come to see how each Spurs player performed over the grueling course of the 82-game regular season.
The rankings are based on each player's performance according to preseason expectations. Basically, players that overachieved are towards the top, those who met expectations are in the middle, and underachievers are towards the bottom.
NOTES: *Remember, this is not ranking the worst-to-best players or their overall importance to the team.
*This list only includes the eleven players that were on the roster for the entire season, so that doesn't include current Spurs Chris Quinn, Steve Novak, Danny Green and Da'Sean Butler.
11. James Anderson
1 of 11
Stats: 3.6 points, 40.5% 3pt
With their highest draft pick since Tim Duncan in 1997, the Spurs selected James Anderson with the 20th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.
The reigning Big 12 Player of the Year and First Team All-American was expected to go in the lottery but for whatever reason fell to the Spurs. He was chosen for his sharp shooting and excellent defensive skills.
At the beginning of the season Anderson showed all that and more until a stress fracture in his foot robbed him of nearly half the season. Conditioning, learning the system and the rise of fellow rookie Gary Neal has made it difficult of him to get back into the Spurs rotation.
He didn't have the rookie season he expected, but there is no doubt he will come back next season ready to find his spot on a Spurs team that is looking for his kind of youth and athleticism for the future.
10. Tiago Splitter
2 of 11
Stats: 4.6 points, 3.3 rebounds
Coming into the season, Splitter was considered one of the biggest offseason pickups in the league and a dark-horse candidate for Rookie of the Year. Like Anderson, those hopes were hampered by untimely injuries and difficulty cracking the Spurs' deep rotation.
When Splitter was getting time, his questionable free-throw shooting (to put it nicely) and difficulty staying out of foul trouble (partially thanks to "rookie calls") made life even tougher for him.
He's starting to get more time as he improves and learns the system. He will be an important part of the Spurs rotation against taller teams like the Lakers, where they will need him to get rebounds and defend.
If Splitter can continue to get more playing time, he will be important for the Spurs' playoff run and a big part of what they can do in the future.
9. DeJuan Blair
3 of 11
Stats: 8.3 points, 6.9 rebounds
Before jumping to conclusions, DeJuan Blair is not this low on the list because he underachieved or had a bad season. He had a pretty good season, but he just didn't show that much improvement from last year.
Part of that is because he did so well last year, and part of it is because as a starter for much of the season he had to face more difficult opponents compared to coming off the bench. This lead to some of his weaknesses getting exposed by the taller players in the league.
Either way, he has developed new ways to overcome that opstacle by learning to use the rim as protection (up-and-under and reverse layups) as well as boxing out for more rebounds. His free throw shooting has also improved dramatically.
Expect Blair to get a new contract with the Spurs this offseason, and if Antonio McDyess retires Blair could start averaging a double-double next season if he sees more playing time.
8. Antonio McDyess
4 of 11
Stats: 5.3 points, 5.3 rebounds
Now we're starting to get into players who met expectations, starting with Antonio McDyess. If his nickname isn't already Old Reliable, it should be.
Knowing this might be his final season if he chooses to opt out of his contract and retire, McDyess came in with one goal in mind: do whatever it takes to help his team win a championship.
So far he has done just that by providing a very productive 19 minutes per game. His rebounding and defensive abilities are extremely valuable to the Spurs' success. He has even moved into the starting lineup heading into the playoffs to help matchup better against bigger teams like the Lakers.
There's probably no veteran that deserves a championship more than this guy, and his defense and outside jumpers will go a long way in determining if he gets it or not.
7. Richard Jefferson
5 of 11
Stats: 11.1 points, 44.3% 3pt
After a somewhat frustrating start to his Spurs career while struggling to learn the system and make decisions, Richard Jefferson spent his off-season working with the Spurs coaching staff to help improve his game. It worked.
Normally known has a slasher, RJ has developed into a very reliable three-point shooter who helps spread the floor. In fact, his 44.3 percent from behind the arc is a career high and way above his career average of 36.5 percent.
Even though his scoring average is the second-lowest of his career, he's just as productive and important to his team as ever. He had somewhat of a mid-season slump, but now he's starting to peak just at the right time heading into the playoffs.
6. Tim Duncan
6 of 11
Stats: 13.4 points, 8.9 rebounds
Any non-Spurs fan will look at this list, see the careers lows in stats and wonder why Tim Duncan is not on the bottom of the list. It's pretty simple: he has done exactly what he was asked.
Knowing the his team needed to come up with a new system to keep up with the more free-flowing game that have developed in the last few years, Timmy accepted a smaller role on the offensive end that did not require the ball being pounded inside every possession.
Instead, he has become more of an instigator charged with shooting when open or passing outside to open players. His unselfishness combined with less playing time to stay fresh has contributed to his multiple career lows in the stats.
However, he is just as reliable as ever on the defensive end and can step it up at any time when called upon. Expect his stats to go up in the playoffs with more playing time.
5. George Hill
7 of 11
Stats: 11.6 points, 2.5 assists
George Hill was probably given the toughest assignment of all heading into the season: replace Manu Ginobili as the Sixth Man charged with providing a spark off the bench.
It took Hill a while to get comfortable with such a tall task while also re-adjusting to life off the bench, but he started to come around in the second half of the season.
His stats just about match his career averages, but his perimeter defense is not something that can be underestimated. He has frustrated plenty of superstars with his long arms and ability to stay in front of them.
Maybe a little too much was expected from Hill coming into the season, but overall he has done an admirable job. His performance in the playoffs will go a long way in deciding how far the Spurs go towards getting another championship.
4. Tony Parker
8 of 11
Stats: 17.6 points, 6.6 assists
Vintage Tony Parker, right? Well for whatever reason the media decided that one struggling season due to countless injuries meant the end of the great Tony Parker's prime. Whatever.
He put up with a summer full of trade and free agent rumors along with unwanted media coverage from his divorce to finally sign the contract extension he wanted and has never looked back.
Already using the determination to return to form after last year, he got even more fired up thanks to what now looks like one of the biggest All-Star snubs of the season. The results?
The highest field-goal percentage in the league for point guards (52.1 percent), return to the starting lineup and sharing the honor as the leader of the pack with Manu Ginobili.
3. Matt Bonner
9 of 11
Stats: 7.3 points, 45.5% 3pt
Matt Bonner was expected to contribute by providing a few points off the bench. He was not expected to be the best three-point shooter in the league and one of the first players off the bench.
He has become a force with his ability to knock down big shots. He's also developed a nice in-between game to make up for the increased amount of defensive pressure he's seeing on the arc.
He has thrived from the Spurs switching to an inside-out game. When he is knocking down shots, they are almost unstoppable.
Bonner was expected to be in the regular rotation, but he wasn't expected to provide this much for the team that used to depend so heavily on big men to pound the ball inside. Talk about overachieving!
2. Manu Ginobili
10 of 11
Stats: 17.6 points, 5.0 assists
Before the season began, Manu Ginobili sat down and had a heart-to-heart talk with Coach Gregg Popovich. He didn't say start me, play me more or let me shoot more.
He said he wanted to put more emphasis on winning games instead of taking it easy until the playoffs. Pop listened, and it has paid off big time.
Many thought after stuggling through the last two-plus seasons with various ailments, 34 year-old Manu was past his prime and could no longer produce the way he had in the past.
He proved those doubters wrong by returning to his All-Star form and leading the Spurs to the best record in the league. He and Parker have taken over in Pop's new offensive system and brought a new dimension to Spurs basketball.
Manu can do it all on offense and is a pesky defender. He knew he still had it in him even if no one else did, and now he has the opportunity complete the Spurs trifecta and bring home a Finals MVP trophy.
1. Gary Neal
11 of 11
Stats: 9.7 points, 42.0% 3pt
So who exceeded expectations the most this season? Oh, just some undrafted guy named Gary Neal who sacrificed his honeymoon just to make it to Las Vegas for the summer league.
The rest is history. Gary Neal impressed the Spurs so much with his shooting abilities that they immediately signed him to a multi-year contract. Still, he wasn't expected to do this much.
Neal has helped the Spurs' front office continue its reputation as the best at finding unknown stars. He can hit threes and has an impressive in-between game with his silky-smooth shooting stroke.
Many thought he would mainly be a bench warmer, but Anderson's injury just seven games into the season opened the flood gates for Neal, and they haven't closed since.
The public may know him as the guy who needs to just get out of the way of dunkers (see link below), but to the Spurs he's yet another team-first player who will go a long way in deciding their fate in the playoffs and help build a foundation for the future.
http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2011/04/07/gary-neal-dunk-victim-of-the-year/
