In the history of the NBA, Manu Ginobili is a rather special presence. The Argentine, who holds four crowns, has been named an All-Star, Third Team, MVP Award Shares in his years as a substitute, and such an award is unimaginable for other substitute players.
From another perspective, Manu Ginobili, who has strong ball holding ability but is willing to be at ease with the Spurs as the sixth man and his mentor Popovich to maximize the strength of the Spurs team, has actually been sacrificing himself. Behind the success of "20 Minutes Jordan", fans have been discussing Manu Ginobili's true ceiling in the NBA, and the evaluation of his historical status is difficult to determine.
Fifteen years in the NBA, which players has the famous demon knife Ginobili played as a substitute? I believe that this matter can be used as an honorable talking point when it is mentioned by these players in the future. In this article, the author will make an inventory according to the timeline for your memories. Of course, if there is a discussion or a lost pearl, of course, you are welcome to ask the officials to leave a message in the comment area.
1. Steve Smith
Back in the NBA in the 02/03 season, Ginobili, who was selected by the Spurs in 1999, officially stepped into the NBA league. In his rookie season, Ginobili performed mediocre due to injuries and the need to adapt, averaging only 20 minutes per game, contributing 7.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
In the scoring guard position that season, the Spurs replaced two starters, one of which was steve Smith, a veteran who averaged 6.8 points and 1.3 assists per game at the time. However, when this benevolent brother took the lead in part of the start, it was actually more of a pseudo-starter, and the real main guard who occupied the core position had someone else.
II. Stephen Jackson
In the same time period as Manu for Steve Smith, he also played as a substitute for Stephen Jackson for [Wusheng], who was a third-year rookie who was arranged by Bobo to appear in the quarterback position, and the data performance was 11.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists. However, after a brief stint for the Spurs, he was sent away by the team.
III. Hidu Turkoglu
Back in the summer of 2003, during the rough time frame of sending Steven Jackson away, the Spurs brought in their bench maniac Tekoglu from the Kings. An all-around fighter with both stature and possession, Hidu Tkoglu can play in the 1-3 position and even briefly make a cameo appearance in the number four position.
In the 03/04 season, Turkoglu played 44 games in the starting quarterback position, while Manu started 38 games, and it can be said that the two are on a par with each other. Compared with himself, who could dominate the mercury leak offensive during the Kings, Turkoglu's positional attack after coming to the Spurs was indeed not very adaptable, and the performance did not meet expectations, and after playing for a season, he was sent to the Magic, and Ginobili was subsequently promoted to the starting position.
Brent Barry
Between 2004 and 2007, it was arguably the three years in which Manu made the most starts. Over the course of three seasons, Manu played 166 starts, averaging about 29 minutes per game, contributing about 16 points, 4 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
After the mid-season of the 06/07 season, the long-awaited Popovich decided to adjust Ginobili's positioning to sixth man, and brent Barry, a veteran of the White Flyers who had been with the team for a while, had been the starting quarterback for a while. Of course, on the data level, Brent Barry was at the end of his career at the time, and he could only deliver 8 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists, which was not comparable to Ginobili, who showed his super six posture.
V. Michael Finley
Between 2007 and 2009, former Dallas Mavericks star player Finley was the Spurs' starting quarterback, averaging about 10 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist per game.
It can be said that among the people who manu has been a substitute, Michael Finley is the most famous, and the power in his personal heyday is also the strongest. Popovich temporarily adjusted Ginobili to a starter until Danny Green took the mid-11/12 position until he was in the middle of the 11/12 season.
6. Danny Green
From the mid-11/12 season when he was a Spurs starter until he was traded out with Leonard in the 17/18 season, Manu Ginobili has been playing as a substitute for Danny Green, who has indeed shown a first-class 3D level during this time.
Danny Green is a versatile 3D player, Manu's ball holding is close to the level of a superstar, and the ball is actually not bad. Considering that there is no shortage of players like Parker in the Spurs' starting lineup, it is really good to let Danny Green play first, and Manu's ball holding value is played in the articulation stage. It can be said that the two breakbacks with very different styles of football, Tielin and Demon Knife, provide Popovich with great value in tactics and lineup scheduling. Of course, under Bobo's arrangement, there are actually many opportunities for the two to play together.
Looking back at Ginobili's NBA career, he has been on the bench for Danny Green the longest, and Danny Green is also the last Spurs starter to let the demon knife play as a substitute. Because after the 17/18 season, Ginobili, who had entered the age of confusion, also decided to retire honorably.