How good was Manu Ginobili? Would he have been seen as a superstar if he played on another team? Why did he come off the bench and play fewer minutes? And was he actually the most valuable Spurs during his prime?

This episode is part of the the second season of the “Greatest Peaks” series. Season 2 focuses on the legends of NBA offense, examining unique archetypes, controversial players and stylistic spearheads who have influenced the game over the years.

Footage: http://www.usasportsondvd.com

Support at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball
Book: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Basketball-Ben-Taylor/dp/1532968175
Podcast: https://player.fm/series/thinking-basketball or at https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ben-taylor/thinking-basketball-podcast
Website: https://www.backpicks.com
Twitter: @elgee35

Ben Taylor is the author of Thinking Basketball, a Nylon Calculus contributor, creator of the Backpicks Top 40 series & host of the Thinking Basketball podcast.

Stats courtesy:
http://www.pbpstats.com @bballport
https://www.basketball-reference.com
https://stats.nba.com
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Footage in this video is owned by the NBA and its partners. It is intended for critique and education.

Music:
Epiphany (Cody Martin)
Didekbeats (Nemesis)
Detour in Velour (Fairlight)
Hair (Fairlight)

#ThinkingBasketball #OffensiveLegends

30 Comments

  1. I never in my life clicked on a video so fast.. thanks for recognizing manu greatness, cheers from buenos aires, argentina 🙂

  2. Manu was an absolute stud. No one could stay in front of him. Tough and smart.. So glad he's getting props here.

  3. "There's a strong case that Manu Giniboli was San Antonio's…OTHER superstar." Every Spurs fan in the 2000s & 2010s: DUH!

  4. I'm from Argentina and I was a kid during this era and I absolutely believed that Manu was better than Kobe

  5. I just want to give a genuine thank you for your thoughtful analysis and dedication to the game. Manu might be the most deserving player to have analyze. His brilliance inspired generations of fans, and is one of the greatest people the league has ever known. Gracias Manu.

  6. One thing I didn't see mentioned in the video is that Manu can shoot without much of a downward momentum gathering. He can catch the ball high and just fires it away which makes his catch and shoot fast AF. He doesn't always shoot like this but it is insanely good when the space is tight and the chasing defender is catching up quick.

  7. Great video!!! Manu never gets the respect he deserves. The Spurs dynasty would’ve never be realized without him! Think about all the great teams with multiple ball of famers- there’s so many, yet only a handful of dynasties. The contribution of the 2nd and 3rd guys ALWAYS gets overshadowed by the #1 (Duncan in this case), but on any other team they would be #1. It’s possible Manu could’ve had “Harden in Houston” type seasons if he played today. If you need a player testimonial, just listen to Kobe talk about him! He’s a legend and had such a unique package at the time! Gawdamn we need more players like him.

  8. 6th man is the most underrated pieces of a championship team. Having someone with no ego to lead the 2nd string and bring the best out of them is huge.

  9. My 2k player comp! I hated the spurs growing up, they were just so good. But I couldn’t hate on Manu, he was just different.

  10. Manu is the greatest 6th man of all time. Jamal crawford and lou williams just won more awards but ginobili would cook them every game

  11. Manu was the primary reason why the Spurs offense never seemed to stall. He was most creative when stuff hits the fan.

  12. It's great to see Ginobili get this kind of recognition. He seemed so central to the Spurs' success.

  13. a fun fact for yall, manu's nickname in chinese is 妖刀 (u could picture something such as muramasa), a nickname which come directly off the image of how he could just easily slice through defenders on the court

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