Ranking Spurs Players Importance

[BlackSilver]

This idea was sparked by seeing something similar for another team. Here's how I rank our players in terms of importance to the team right now, with notes where that ranking needs to be different if we are to win a fifth le.

1. Tim Duncan
Plenty's been said about his resurgent form, but seeing the team struggle in his absence to affect shots, get defensive rebounds, or offer decent weak-side help was enough for me. I hope he plays for ten more years, even as a defensive specialist. If he can walk, he should play. No lower than #2 important player for le number 5.

2. Tony Parker
It was tough to place him second because of how amazing he's playing and running the offense. I'll say this though...if Tony can bottle up that individual defensive effort he showed against Kyrie Irving and replicate it with any consistency, he becomes my clear #1 important player if we are to win a 5th le. And, it's about time he started mentoring the other PGs on the roster.

3. Kawhi Leonard
What a guy. His decision-making under pressure is a beautiful thing. And, is that a clutch gene glimmering in the depths? Sure hope so. We will sink or swim in those close playoff games depending on his consistency. Remains #3 for playoffs.

4. Tiago Splitter
What an improvement in free throw shooting. But, I want to see him demand the ball more in the post from Tony. At least couple times a half. His defense against Zach Randolph was a revelation. I thought he was soft? #5

5. Danny Green
I said right now. And you can't deny that his icy hot shooting has been more fire than ice of late and has been huge in some games. Danny boy, repeat after me...Players WILL fly at me in the playoffs and there won't be much room to shoot, but I promise to shoot and make it. Wash, rinse, repeat. #8 most important players for the le, mostly because his shooting is capable of making us overlook Bonner's impending collapse.

6. Gary Neal
This is a tough one. I happen to love Gary's shooting and hope he sticks with the Spurs for years to come. But man, that putrid defense. Remember, if you're too slow to play honest defense, take a page from the vets and learn some crafty sneaky stuff. Cause you have no hope otherwise. #6 for the playoffs.

7. Manu Ginobili
He's this far down because of how little he's played. But, I've really liked what I've seen when healthy. The good news is we'll make it through the first two rounds with or without him. But the WCF and Finals? We need Manu Magic back. #4 most important for le number 5 because when all else fails, we trust in Manu.

8. Matt Bonner
Um, what's there to say. Regular season shot-making success continues. Maybe he'll flip the script for the second half of the season causing Pop to put him at the end of the bench now and then maybe resurrect his corpse in a desperate situation a la Steve Kerr and he delivers one close game. #10. Go ahead and lower those expectations now.

9. Nando De Colo
What are you? Legit backup PG or tease? Is there just one shot you can consistently make? #11.

10. Boris Diaw
Flashes of brilliance that are too rare. I guess that's why they call them flashes. Whatever. Clearly our best big off the bench but needs a lot more improvement for the playoffs. #9

11. DeJuan Blair
Yeah, I know a couple of you think he's the savior and the rest of you think he stinks. I guess I'm with the rest of you, mainly because I think his confidence is shot. #14.

12. Stephen Jackson
Put me firmly in the SJax Fan Club. I think he's critical for ring #5 and will perform in the clutch games. Because he already has that clutch gene that we keep hoping Bonner will magically discover. #7

13. Patty Mills
Not a PG. Don't quite know what to do with him. But he sure gets major points for team chemistry and cheering his teammates. I really hope he can be turned loose for 5 minutes at a stretch for some shot making and no other responsibilities. #12.

14. Aron Baynes
Ok dude, grow up already. #13.

15. Cory Joseph
Um, will he even be around? I feel bad that he hasn't gotten a chance, but if Pop doesn't get him playing time in the next ten games, the playoff rotation will be set without him.

I probably missed someone. Anyway, I guess a trade is possible, but I personally think unlikely at this point in the season.

[timvp]

I don't fully understand your criteria but, whatever it is, it shouldn't have Ginobili at 7.

1A. Tony Parker
1B. Tim Duncan
1C. Manu Ginobili

Come playoff time, those three will be interchangeable. The Spurs will need two of the three playing at the absolute top of their game to win a championship.

4. Tiago Splitter
5. Kawhi Leonard

Splitter is the most important of the rest of the players, partly because the Spurs rely on him so much. If he can't hold down the fort while Duncan rests, the Spurs are toast. Leonard needs to continue to blossom but the Spurs aren't yet totally dependent on him.

6. Boris Diaw
7. Danny Green

Diaw is very important. If he doesn't do well, the Spurs are in trouble because of the weakness of the bigs behind him. Green hurts the team if he implodes but his importance decreases come the playoffs since Ginobili will play more minutes.

8. Gary Neal
9. Stephen Jackson
10A. Nando De Colo
10B. Patrick Mills

The Spurs need at least two of these players to play well -- preferably three.

12. Matt Bonner
13. DeJuan Blair

Any production during a vital game is a bonus.

14. Aron Baynes
15. Cory Joseph

Might or might not get a chance this season.

[Darius Bieber]

I agree with mostly everything you have there, timvp.
However, I would put Captain Jack and Mills a bit higher. They are X-Factors and if they get hot (a La Stephen Jackson during Game 6 in WCF last year) they may be the key to an advancement in the Play-Offs.

[Richie]

timvp, surely Jack should be in the Diaw/Green group. He will have to play significant minutes guarding Durant and Lebron for us to win a le.

[DapDaGenius]

Duncan play for 10 more years? LOL

Also what is "Ok dude, grow up" referring to, when you speak of Baynes?

[BlackSilver]

I don't fully understand your criteria but, whatever it is, it shouldn't have Ginobili at 7.

Sorry...I wasn't clear. Ginobili is at 7 right now...meaning for the regular season. Whether or not he goes into God mode before the reg season ends, the team will have a pretty good record and seed. In terms of his importance to the team in the playoffs, I had him at 4, behind Tony, Tim, and Kawhi.

My criteria are fully subjective...

[spurraider21]

The OKC series last year showed just how important Manu was... but I'd still have him at #2 if Tim and Tony are 1a and 1b
I think as long as 1 of our 3 headed spaghetti monster of Neal Mills and De Colo is playing well, that's all we need. If one is playing well, the other 2 won't need minutes. Tiago playing well is going to be huge against not only OKC (hopefully along with Tim can force them to stay away from their small lineup, keeping Perkins out there) but also against LAC or Memphis. His D in Randolph will be huge if we face them, and his transition D will need to be on point against the clippers with the way their bigs run the floor. Naturally, against these teams, limiting turnovers as a team is AS important as any one playe's play

[BlackSilver]

Duncan play for 10 more years? LOL

Also what is "Ok dude, grow up" referring to, when you speak of Baynes?

Re: Duncan, I can hope, can't I? As for Baynes, yes...that was unnecessarily mysterious. I meant that it would be nice if he instantly became an NBA quality player so he could help us this year.

[Brunodf]

Kawhi is ranked too high.

[Chinook]

You know the rules: Green has to be ranked first or 15th. There's no middle ground.

[Chinook]

Serious list, though:

1a, 1b -- Parker and Duncan: They both need to be great to get past the second round

3 -- Ginobili: The team could probably make it to the West Finals without him, but there's no way they get past OKC, LAC and especially Miami without all hands on deck.

4a, 4b, 4c -- Leonard, Green and Splitter: At least one of these players needs to step up to form the Big Four in the playoffs, two if Ginobili isn't right. We can argue about which individual is most important in a vacuum, but I think in games, they'll switch off by series or even by quarter.

7 -- Diaw: He probably can't push the Spurs too far one way or the other, but an engaged Diaw can dominate bench units with is passing.

8a, 8b -- Neal and Jack: They need to hit their shots and bring great effort in the later series. The Spurs can probably get by early without them.

10a, 10b, 10c -- De Colo, Mills and Blair: Someone needs to be ready when their number's called. There will be times when an infusion of energy is needed. I hope they play smart then.

13a, 13b -- Baynes and Joseph: I'll be surprised if they are even in uniform. Perhaps they'll get a chance later.

LAST -- Bonner: I hope he doesn't even see minutes in blowouts. I like him personally, and I wish things were different, but the best thing he can do is pull an Horry and get some players suspended during a crucial series. But that would required him to be on the court, so pass.

[letmk]

I don't fully understand your criteria but, whatever it is, it shouldn't have Ginobili at 7.

1A. Tony Parker
1B. Tim Duncan
1C. Manu Ginobili

Come playoff time, those three will be interchangeable. The Spurs will need two of the three playing at the absolute top of their game to win a championship.

4. Tiago Splitter
5. Kawhi Leonard

Splitter is the most important of the rest of the players, partly because the Spurs rely on him so much. If he can't hold down the fort while Duncan rests, the Spurs are toast. Leonard needs to continue to blossom but the Spurs aren't yet totally dependent on him.

6. Boris Diaw
7. Danny Green

Diaw is very important. If he doesn't do well, the Spurs are in trouble because of the weakness of the bigs behind him. Green hurts the team if he implodes but his importance decreases come the playoffs since Ginobili will play more minutes.

8. Gary Neal
9. Stephen Jackson
10A. Nando De Colo
10B. Patrick Mills

The Spurs need at least two of these players to play well -- preferably three.

12. Matt Bonner
13. DeJuan Blair

Any production during a vital game is a bonus.

14. Aron Baynes
15. Cory Joseph

Might or might not get a chance this season.

To get regular season wins, Kawhi is not that needed. But for the Spurs to potentially upset Heat/Thunder, I would put him as 1c as Tim and Tony.

To me, say if Spurs have 10% to win it all, that chance becomes 0% without Tim or Tony, and 1% without Kawhi.

An unhealthy Manu makes it 5%, but sticking with an unhealthy/inefficient Manu no matter what makes it 3% or even lower.

[DapDaGenius]

Re: Duncan, I can hope, can't I? As for Baynes, yes...that was unnecessarily mysterious. I meant that it would be nice if he instantly became an NBA quality player so he could help us this year.

Oh ok. That's really unlikely though. I'm not saying that he doesn't have the potential be an NBA quality beast, I'm just saying it's unlikely for it to happen with him averaging less than 6 minutes a game. He played 18 and 11 minutes in 2 games, then in the rest of the games he played in, he's played only like 2 minutes. It would be nice to see Baynes get some more time on the court. Maybe it will happen sometime soon or maybe we'll we waiting a while for that to happen. Who knows. I hope his development is coming along well, though.

[superbigtime]

Nice breakdown there, agree definitely that Tiago and Kawhi are #4 and #5. This stratification really drives home how important the 3rd and 4th tier players are. Guys with questionable reliability and consistency (to say it nicely) include Green, Neal, and deColo and Diaw as well. I just don't know about Jack. I think his finger injury is a huge problem. But he is very savvy and wily and tough. The fact that he has not strung a few good games together makes me think he could be done.

[cd021]

I don't fully understand your criteria but, whatever it is, it shouldn't have Ginobili at 7.

1A. Tony Parker
1B. Tim Duncan
1C. Manu Ginobili

Come playoff time, those three will be interchangeable. The Spurs will need two of the three playing at the absolute top of their game to win a championship.

4. Tiago Splitter
5. Kawhi Leonard

Splitter is the most important of the rest of the players, partly because the Spurs rely on him so much. If he can't hold down the fort while Duncan rests, the Spurs are toast. Leonard needs to continue to blossom but the Spurs aren't yet totally dependent on him.

6. Boris Diaw
7. Danny Green

Diaw is very important. If he doesn't do well, the Spurs are in trouble because of the weakness of the bigs behind him. Green hurts the team if he implodes but his importance decreases come the playoffs since Ginobili will play more minutes.

8. Gary Neal
9. Stephen Jackson
10A. Nando De Colo
10B. Patrick Mills

The Spurs need at least two of these players to play well -- preferably three.

12. Matt Bonner
13. DeJuan Blair

Any production during a vital game is a bonus.

14. Aron Baynes
15. Cory Joseph

Might or might not get a chance this season.

Agree. No way Neal is more important than Manu.

[Captivus]

Following the thread idea, I would put NDC with the number 6 in order to win.
The Big 3, Tiago, Kiwi, Neal/Green, NDC.
If NDC makes a jump and ends up being number 6, which would mean he becomes the back up PG (and can handle it, off course), I would say the Spurs can win it all.
I dont think other players besides the "5" can have a bigger impact than NDC if he starts to play like we all hope he can.

[ksstyle]

For reguler season only, I understand your point
But playoffs stage is somewhat different

[dunkman]

The best Spurs players are Tony and Tim.
Excellent players are Manu, Kawhi and Tiago.
Serviceable are Diaw, Green and Bonner.
Inconsistent players: Neal, Jack, Mills, Blair, De Colo, Cory and Baynes

[jhfenton]

Without looking at anyone else's list to unduly influence me:

1. Parker
2. Duncan

3. Splitter
4. Leonard
5. Ginobili
6. Green
7. Diaw

8. Jackson
9. Mills
10. De Colo
11. Neal
12. Bonner

13. Blair
14. Baynes
15. Joseph

To win the championship, I believe that the Spurs need Parker and Duncan, 4 of the next 5, and 2 of the next 5 to play well. The bottom 3 are irrelevant.

[chapnis]

Tony, Tim, Manu, Splitter, Leonard, Green, Diaw, Jackson, Neal, De Colo, Mills, Bonner, Blair, Baynes, Joseph. IMO

[TD 21]

I don't fully understand your criteria but, whatever it is, it shouldn't have Ginobili at 7.

1A. Tony Parker
1B. Tim Duncan
1C. Manu Ginobili

Come playoff time, those three will be interchangeable. The Spurs will need two of the three playing at the absolute top of their game to win a championship.

Disagree. Ginobili is clearly number three in terms of importance and he was last season too, despite leading the team in PER and WS/48. It's all about their positions/role and the composition of the roster. Plus, the other two play significantly more minutes.

10A. Nando De Colo
10B. Patrick Mills

The Spurs need at least two of these players to play well -- preferably three.

12. Matt Bonner

I know what you're thinking here, but just by virtue of all three being minimal players and Bonner being highest on the depth chart, I'd put him ahead of both.

[ElNono]

I don't fully understand your criteria but, whatever it is, it shouldn't have Ginobili at 7.

1A. Tony Parker
1B. Tim Duncan
1C. Manu Ginobili

Come playoff time, those three will be interchangeable. The Spurs will need two of the three playing at the absolute top of their game to win a championship.

4. Tiago Splitter
5. Kawhi Leonard

Splitter is the most important of the rest of the players, partly because the Spurs rely on him so much. If he can't hold down the fort while Duncan rests, the Spurs are toast. Leonard needs to continue to blossom but the Spurs aren't yet totally dependent on him.

6. Boris Diaw
7. Danny Green

Diaw is very important. If he doesn't do well, the Spurs are in trouble because of the weakness of the bigs behind him. Green hurts the team if he implodes but his importance decreases come the playoffs since Ginobili will play more minutes.

8. Gary Neal
9. Stephen Jackson
10A. Nando De Colo
10B. Patrick Mills

The Spurs need at least two of these players to play well -- preferably three.

12. Matt Bonner
13. DeJuan Blair

Any production during a vital game is a bonus.

14. Aron Baynes
15. Cory Joseph

Might or might not get a chance this season.

this, pretty much. Two changes though:

Jack goes into the Diaw/Green slot. His defense/post-play/3pt shooting/experience can be a difference maker at the big dance.

and

1A. Manu Ginobili
1B. Tim Duncan
1C. Tony Parker

[Boomersgold]

1. Tony Parker
2. Tim Duncan
3. Tiago Splitter
4. Manu Ginobili
5. Kawhi Leonard
6. Boris Diaw
7. Danny Green
8. Stephen Jackson
9. De Colo
10. Patty Mills
11. Gary Neal
12. Aron Baynes
13. Matt Bonner
14. Dejuan Blair
15. Cory Joseph

[carina_gino20]

I really hope we don't have to rely on D Green's production come playoff time...I just haven't seen anything from him yet to change the perception that he will shrivel up in the postseason...

[Mal]

1/2 Duncan & Parker are the most important
3 Ginobili as core player, but Spurs managed to win games without him. Healthy and in form, means for team than other guys on the team.
4/5 Splitter & Leonard. Important players + future investments
6 Diaw really important guy, but Spurs could live without him
7/8 Green & Neal. Important roles with 3pt shooting threat. Again, important to the system, not untradeable
9 Jax. Not sure about him. He didnt give much + he is Spurs` best trade asset.
10. De Colo. Great player, but for the future. Could be added to some trade package
11. Bonner. A guy who`s been here for long time. Tradeable contract.
12. Mills. Bench warmer. Decent player. Not important piece for playoff rotation.
13. Blair. Bench warmer. Probably gone within a week.
14. CoJo. Been here for 3 years, and didnt improve in rotation. If anybody wants him, trade him.
15. Baynes. Didnat saw a second of him playing, but guess he is here for being a cheap asset in the future.